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Removal of microfiber in vertical flow constructed wetlands treating greywater
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Researchers demonstrated that a vertical flow constructed wetland planted with Zantedeschia aethiopica effectively removed microfibers from laundry greywater over five months, supporting nature-based constructed wetlands as a viable low-tech solution for microplastic filtration.
Nature-based solutions such as constructed wetlands (CW) are considered as a sustainable, green technology for greywater treatment. However, their efficiency to remove microplastics is not well-known even though greywater is considered as a significant source of microfiber pollution. In this study, the removal of fiber microplastics from greywater using a vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) was investigated. For the purposes of this study, an experimental wetland was constructed, planted with the flowering plant Zantedeschia aethiopica and filled with a substrate made of sand/gravel of several sizes. The system's performance was monitored for five months during which it received real laundry wastewater. Promising results were obtained showing the significant removal of microfibers from the influent (> 95 %). Moreover, the ability of the system to remove microfibers from laundry wastewater was not significantly affected from the hydraulic loading rate (HLR) applied. The average microfibers concentration decreased from 71 ± 25 microparticles/L in the influent to 1 ± 1 microparticles/L in the effluent of VFCW when an HLR of 63.7 mm/d was applied. High removal efficiencies were also observed for COD and turbidity (93 % and 94 %, respectively). Thus, the results indicate a significant improvement in the overall quality of laundry wastewater due to the use of the VFCW.
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Your household wastewater from sinks, showers, and laundry (called "greywater") contains tiny plastic particles that wash off clothes and other products—and this study found that certain filtration systems using materials like biochar, gravel, and wetland-style setups can trap over 99% of these microplastics before the water gets reused or released into the environment. This matters because as more communities recycle greywater to conserve water, having effective filtration means fewer microplastics end up back in our environment and water supply, where they could eventually make their way into what we drink and eat.
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