Nature-based solutions coupled with advanced technologies: An opportunity for decentralized water reuse in cities

Castellar, Joana A. C.; Torrens, Adelaida Ferrer; Buttiglieri, Gianluigi; Monclús, Héctor; Arias, Carlos A.; Carvalho, Pedro N.; Galvão, Ana; Comas, Joaquím

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130660

Cited by 38 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…This last disadvantage is of great importance as more than 40% of the global population live in rural areas (Welivita et al, 2021;Balk et al, 2021). Although fully centralized systems have been widely used in the last decades, the latest recommendations based on research and cost-benefit analyses suggest transitioning away from these systems towards more adaptable and sustainable ones, thus leading to a shift from conventional centralized systems to either hybrid or fully decentralized ones (Dev et al, 2021;Castellar et al, 2022). Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DWTS) have been shown to be a sustainable, viable, flexible, reliable, and cost-effective alternative source of water, especially useful on a small scale (Gukelberger et al, 2019;Liu et al, 2021;Maryati et al, 2022).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life cycle cost assessment and economic analysis of a decentralized wastewater treatment to achieve water sustainability within the framework of circular economy

López-Serrano

Lakho

Hulle

et al. 2023

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Research background: The increasing water demand together with an unceasing production of wastewater worldwide has resulted in a situation where the scarcity and pollution of water resources are jeopardizing and depleting such a vital asset. Purpose of the article: In this context, Nature Based Solutions (NBS) such as Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands (VFCWs) are key because of their capacity of channelling a waste into a resource. However, and notwithstanding their essential role, their financial benefits too often go unnoticed because of missing research that study them from an economic perspective and this article has covered this existing gap. The objective of this research is to analyse the economic consequences of using VFCW against its traditional alternative through a comprehensive economic assessment. Methods: After doing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a combination of two approaches has been carried out. This research has developed a holistic approach where a Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA) based on a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) along with an economic evaluation of cleaning environmental costs have been calculated for two different scenarios. For this monetary analysis, the environmental externalities derived from the use of cleaning the pollution caused by a public water supply and sewerage system and the VFCW have been quantified. Findings & value added: Results conclude that VFCW apart of being a cost-effective and profitable alternative for an investor, it has also valuable benefits for the society in general because of its meaningful and positive externalities and the high removal cost of the environmental pollutants of the traditional water supply and sewage system both contributing directly to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, 4/5 environmental impacts derived from the use of traditional alternative pollute more than twice as much as the VFCW does. Lastly, the cleaning costs difference between both alternatives is 1,984,335?.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life cycle cost assessment and economic analysis of a decentralized wastewater treatment to achieve water sustainability within the framework of circular economy

López-Serrano

Lakho

Hulle

et al. 2023

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“…However, several studies report that CW effluents consistently fail to comply with the required standards for water reuse in terms of pathogen and nutrient content [9,15e17]. Moreover, the conventional, stand-alone CW cannot eliminate recalcitrant compounds, meaning that water reuse right after CW treatment will be hindered by the presence of emerging contaminants [9,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The need to polish CW effluents and upgrade CW operation has been the subject of multiple studies which have investigated CWs combined with other advanced technologies [9,17,18], such as ultraviolet (UV) irradiation [19,20], membrane filtration [14,21], advanced oxidation [22e25], and electrochemical systems (ECs) [26e32]. Among those, EC-based strategies have substantially decreased recalcitrant pollutants and pathogen levels in the treated water.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water treatment and reclamation by implementing electrochemical systems with constructed wetlands

Mosquera-Romero¹,

Ntagia²,

Rousseau³

et al. 2023

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

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“…According to the European Union (EU) environment, multiple benefits can be achieved from the use of NBS. One of the promises of NBS is its promotion towards delivering multiple sustainability goals synergistically [4,5]. From the 2022 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) report, one can observe that meeting clean water and environment to achieve 2030 goals will require a quadruple increase in the rate of progress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The general assumption is that environmental pollution remediation, including that of water and wastewater, requires technological solutions stands; however, researchers have shown that NBS and technology can be powerful allies [4,9,10]. Notwithstanding, this needs science-based proof as evidence of NBS performance efficiencies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Annona diversifolia Seed Extract as A Natural Coagulant for Water Treatment

Usman

Lee

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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The ever-present environmental crises are current research hotspots. Nature-based solutions have been shown to have multiple co-benefits toward solving these crises. Plant-based coagulants are known to be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for coagulation and flocculation processes for drinking-water treatment. In this study, a natural coagulant was extracted from Annona diversifolia seed, and its effectiveness was investigated for turbidity reduction using jar test in kaolin suspension, river water, and evaluation of factors for sludge dewatering. The characterisation studies of Annona diversifolia seed extract were carried out using techniques including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential analyser, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Response surface methodology (RSM) was also performed for the optimisation study. The results from FTIR showed that Annona diversifolia seed extract contains carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups. The charge density was found to be negative. A web-like structure surface morphology was observed from TEM. The optimum treatment settings were found to be at pH 3 and a dosage of 25 mg/L for water treatment, and 50 mg/L for sludge dewatering, which were comparable to the metal–salts coagulants. Annona diversifolia seed extract has been shown to be a good natural coagulant. Further research can be conducted to modify and enhance its performance.

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Nature-based solutions coupled with advanced technologies: An opportunity for decentralized water reuse in cities

Cited by 38 publications

References 77 publications

Life cycle cost assessment and economic analysis of a decentralized wastewater treatment to achieve water sustainability within the framework of circular economy

Life cycle cost assessment and economic analysis of a decentralized wastewater treatment to achieve water sustainability within the framework of circular economy

Water treatment and reclamation by implementing electrochemical systems with constructed wetlands

Evaluation of Annona diversifolia Seed Extract as A Natural Coagulant for Water Treatment

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