treatment wetlands

UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon visit Gaza

2012-02-15T11:15:00.001-05:00

From UNRWA web site:
The UN Secretary-General receives a briefing about the UNRWA environmental zero impact school in Gaza.

Yes, it is the green school with the treatment wetland and the reuse of treated waters!!! thanks Mr Ban!!

read the full story at:

http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=1236

...

World Environment Day - Blogging competition - treatment wetlands for green economy

2012-02-12T08:45:00.001-05:00

“I just entered to win a trip to Brazil for UNEP’s World Environment Day 2012. Read my blog post and discover how the Green Economy includes you."

Green, green, green is the color of all the treatment wetlands (TWs) that I have designed, more than 100 up to date. I use a simple calculation spreadsheet, I start from some numbers that characterize the polluted wastewaters whether of human origin that livestock or industrial and finally I get a number from that formulae. This number is the area of the TWs, a constructed wetland that is similar to a natural wetland that are the one you can find in a river bank, in a lake side, in a river delta… somewhere in the wet area of the Earth.

The water quality improvements in natural wetlands had been observed by scientists and engineers for many years and this led to the development of TWs as an attempt to replicate the water quality with the target of water purification before final discharge. TWs are designed with modern engineering systems from 50 years.

Well I’m speaking about a green and sustainable way to clean up polluted waters! A way that is originate from Mother Nature. There are not just traditional systems with a lot of pumps that functions all day long, there are not just expensive plants that use chemicals products to abate pollutions, there are not just plants made with concrete walls and steel pipes. We can follow a natural and green solution, environmental friendly, able to recreate a green area and that works with simple materials. Most of the pollutants are organics, like Biological or Chemical Oxygen Demand, nitrogen or phosphorus. All of these are natural and can be reduced by natural systems.

TWs are made with local materials and low energy input. Are you in Alaska? You can use local gravel and pipes. Are you in Malaysia? You can use local gravel and pipes. Are you in some states of Brasil? You can find there gravel and pipes. Need something special parts? Not! Need energy for his daily functioning? Not! Need high instruction level to manage it? Not! TWs are really simple to do and simple to be managed and they are just green, a beautiful green with a lot of flowers inside!

To build up a TWs bed you have to excavate a basin deep 0,7 m, you need a waterproof plastic coating, you have to fill it with gravel or other porous materials and finally plants wetlands species. Then you have to realize the inlet and outlet pipe system to bring wastewaters in and collect the treated waters out of the system.

Also UNRWA (www.unrwa.org) an UN agency that operate in Near East is working to funds a green school which have in the garden a treatment wetlands, and I’m proud to be part of this project in Gaza Strip as designer of the TWs!

Well, this is what I do. I mimic nature to improve the environment quality status that is daily threatened by us and by our actions, which cannot always be black or grey. This is green, I’m green, this can be a green economy, the process that I follow to design the treatment systems really derive from natural process that occur in natural environments. Can someone tell me that it isn’t green? And this green technology drive a green economy environment where designers and workers, green media and green policies build up something green to treat our not green wastes for a better world.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY - 5 JUNE - RIO DE JANEIRO - BRASIL

2012-02-07T11:28:00.003-05:00

from http://unep.org/wed/ UNEP web site:

The UN Environment Programme defines the Green Economy as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.

Practically speaking, a Green Economy is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These investments need to be catalyzed and supported by targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and regulation changes.

The 2012 World Environment Day theme is Green Economy: Does it include you? 2012 is also the 40th anniversary for World Environment Day, since the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1972.

In this significant year for the environment and sustainable development, the world leaders will once again meet at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development twenty years after the historic Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 1992.

Dubbed Rio+20, one of the main themes of this Summit is ‘a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication’.

WORLD WETLAND DAY 2 Feb 2012 - COP 11

2012-02-02T14:36:00.000-05:00

Today, 2 February 2012 is the World Wetland Day.

Coied from the Ramsar Convention web site I post here below something about this celebrative day.

from www.ramsar.org:

The World Wetlands Day theme for 2012 is Wetlands and Tourism and is linked to the theme for the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties, COP11: Wetlands, Tourism and Recreation, which will take place in July 2012, in Bucharest, Romania.

Mangrove Forest, Jozani Forest, Zanzibar

Wetland tourism has benefits both locally and nationally for people and wildlife – benefits such as stronger economies, sustainable livelihoods, healthy people and thriving ecosystems. At least 35% of Ramsar Sites around the world record some level of tourism activity and this percentage is consistent throughout all regions. Of course it is important to consider tourism in all wetlands – not just those designated as Ramsar Sites – since the Contracting Parties to the Convention are committed to managing all wetlands.

The following is the link of the activities done around the world in 2011 to celebrate the world wetland day, take a look!

http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-activities-wwds-wwd2011reports/main/ramsar/1-63-78%5E25047_4000_0__

Here another link. This is about the official materials made in partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), they have created a brochure for WWD 2012 on wetlands and sustainable tourism, and how tourism can benefit Ramsar Sites and all wetlands.

They have also produced a poster, a flipbook, a comic, and a sticker, all aimed at providing information on wetlands and tourism for you to share and customise.

http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-activities-wwds-wwd2012index/main/ramsar/1-63-78%5E25324_4000_0__

all text, link and the photo take from www.ramsar.org

thanks for the last January: treatment wetland record!

2012-02-01T15:56:00.002-05:00

Hi wetlanders, new statistic record in the last month (January 2012): 683 pages views, more than 7400 views in the last twelve months. A lot of followers from more than 100 world countries USA, Canada, Indonesia, India, Australia, Russian Federation, but also from Barbados, Mexico, Qatar, Pakistan, Marocco, Japan and more.

Thanks a lot for visiting this blog, thanks a lot for contacting me. Last January friends from Malaysia, India, Oregon, Argentina and Mexico have contacted me for some questions about treatment wetlands and their applications for leachate purification, as natural site, as traditional vertical treatment bed, and the best question on how to become a wetland designer!

Stay tuned, news will arrive on how to design a bed and something more on floating wetland systems.

thanks for enjoy this site!
Dave

Wastewater treatment in developing countries

2012-01-20T12:16:00.000-05:00

here another good reading that report TWs as good wastewater treatment solution:
Wastewater Irrigation and Health Assessing and Mitigating Risk in Low-Income Countries
Published by International Development Research Centre and International Water Management Institute.

Constructed wetlands are beds of aquatic macrophytes which grow in soil, sand or gravel. There are three main types: surface-flow, subsurface horizontal-flow and vertical-flow systems. Although, in principle, any aquatic macrophyte can be grown in constructed wetlands, and high-value ornamental flowers and trees have been grown successfully in constructed wetlands, the majority are planted with reeds and/or rushes (e.g. Juncus, Phragmites) (Belmont et al., 2004).
Constructed wetlands are usually secondary or tertiary treatment units, in which case they are preceded by a septic tank, Imhoff tank, UASB, anaerobic pond or a conventional wastewater treatment plant. They are used to remove organic matter (BOD), solids and nutrients. Wetlands are generally promoted as a good option to control pathogens.

However, although wetlands have been installed in several developing countries, in practice few data on the
pathogen removals obtained are available due to the high cost and complexity of the analytical techniques involved. The available information mostly refers only to faecal coliforms. From the small amount of available data, pathogen removal is highly variable and depends on the climate, the type of wetland and the plants used.
Pathogen removal is achieved via filtration, adsorption on to soil or plant roots and predation by micro-organisms (Jiménez, 2007). Wetlands can remove 90–98 per cent of faecal coliforms, 67–84 per cent of MS2 coliphages and 60–100 per cent of protozoa (Jiménez, 2003).

(text and the images are taken in the .pdf version available on the http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/ web site).

South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)

2011-12-21T14:33:00.001-05:00

When I was young...no no no... in 1997 I made a study trip in Florida (USA). It was a umid and typical Florida July (fantastic).
I had the opportunity to visit the SFWMD and in particular the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project. This is a component of the Everglades Restoration Program as demonstration treatment area (3800 acres, one of the largest treatment wetland in the world).
The ENR project has the following ojectives:
1) reduce the total phosphorus loads and minimize the imbalances in everglades flora and fauna
2) develop design and construction criteria for large scale application of Treatment Wetlands
3) implement optimal nutrient removal technology.

http://www.protectingourwater.org/watersheds/map/everglades/

Over 100 parameters were monitored, also inflow and outflow were measured and also vegetation has been monitored

... to be continued...(I'm searching the photo of the trip)...

Alpine Hut "Casera Bosconero" treatment wetlands

2011-12-20T11:19:00.002-05:00

Well, at 1498 m above sea level in the beautiful italian Dolomites (now as UNESCO World Heritage) there is the Casera Bosconero alpine hut. This is locate in Forno di Zoldo municipality and from 2005 is active a treatment wetland. This is part of the project ENERGIANOVA set up by the IMAGE department of Padova University.

Here we build up two horizontal beds, sealed with a double line of bentonite, filled with local gravel, and planted with local mountain species. The beds receive 1 mc/day originated by the maximun 30 persons that can sleep in the hut.

the two beds in 2007

flowering of senecio cordatum's plants in 2010

development of the senecio's plants in 2011 Summer

me with an international wetland conference delegation visiting the site.

sustainable sanitation and water management

2011-12-15T08:43:00.000-05:00

Hi, read this useful and good web site http://www.sswm.info/ there are a lot of useful information and "Linking up Sustainable Sanitation, Water Management & Agriculture" as they say in the home page.

There is also a well build section on treatment wetlands:
http://www.sswm.info/category/implementation-tools/wastewater-treatment#(Semi-)Centralised Wastewater Treatments

in the hardware side there are explications about free water systems, horizontal systams, vertical systems and also hybrid systems.

Read all the articles and you will find in the bottom of the pages a good, complete and free download library about treatment wetlands!!!

sizing and designing of Treatment wetlands (part 1)

2011-12-13T13:33:00.000-05:00

By R Kadlec in the Bible of Treatment wetlands (2nd edition):
"The preliminary step in the design of a treatment wetland is to acquire a fundamental understanding of the site of the wetland. Site conditions dictate the physical, chemical, and biological environment of a wetland treatment system. Conditions that should be evaluated during planning of a wetland treatment system include climate, geography, groundwater and its chemistry, soils and geology, rainfall and runoff water chemistry, biology, and socioeconomic factors. The importance of each of these conditions may vary, but all should be investigated to some extent. Detailed studies may be needed to determine the importance of those site conditions that affect technical feasibility."
Well, stated this above how can we design and sizing a treatment wetlands?
It's true, we always need to know where we are! I've a friends in WWG that travel around the world from Africa to Asia, from cold to warm climate location and is really important knowing where we are before starting the wetlands sizing.
The design of subsurface flow wetlands may be roughly divided into two categories: sizing calculations and physical specifications. There are different sizing methodologies for sub surface wetlands. There are also physical considerations, including the number of cells, layout, liners, bed depth, media size, plants, and water level control. It is recognized that subsurface wetlands are not stand-alone treatment devices but rather form part of an overall treatment process (Kadlec 2nd edition, mod.).

MOREL and DIENER 2006 Horizontal CW.jpg

A school in Gaza Strip... with a treatment wetland inside!!!

2011-12-10T11:50:00.001-05:00

Here two photos made in the new school in the community of Um Al Nasser in Gaza Strip.
This is an international project coordinated by an Italian ONG Vento di Terra, Arcò and the http://www.mcarchitects.it/

Now 120 student 3 to 6 years old and eight teachers have their beautiful new school and the 850 persons that live in that community have an indirect benefit.
This treatment plant was designer by artecambiente srl and me! THAT'S GOOD!

more on Ko Phi Phi island treatment wetland

2011-12-02T12:37:00.000-05:00

another good picture from the Butterfly treatment wetland system build in Ko Phi Phi island by Hans Brix. As you can see it is really green, it is really smart, it is really good for this beautiful place!
See this past post for more details about this plant: http://treatmentwetlands.blogspot.com/2010/12/treatment-wetlands-are-good-technology.html

This travel blog photo's source is TravelPod page: Before We Leave... Anyone Have to Ko Phi Phi?

Good picture from France ... in the garden!

2011-12-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

Beautiful treatment wetlands in France directly inside the homegarden (photo by Edwige Le Douarin, Aquatiris, France, 2010, get in Flickr.com). Ecology, green technology, buildings aspects, everythings turn around treatment of wastewater!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gtzecosan/5375751550/

Italian Economic Crisis

2011-11-10T04:05:00.000-05:00

Hi to all, just few words to explain my opinion about current Italian Economic Crisis.
It is not a problem in the social situation, is just a financial speculation. Here the restaurants are full, we still drive cars though diesel and gasoline cost more than 1,5 euro, people still made shopping and so on. It's just financial crisis not at population level.

Recycled plastic water bottles getting new use in coastal restoration project

2011-09-23T04:05:00.000-04:00

Yes, another goal for treatment floating wetlands! From http://www.wwltv.com/ local news in Louisiana:

"Bottles take up so much of our landfill and now, we can maybe use it to protect something that really needs protecting," said Nicole Waguespack, with Martin Ecosystems, a Baton Rouge-based company which developed the floating islands.

Full video at:

http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Recycled-plastic-water-bottles-getting-new-use-in-coastal-restoration-project-130380023.html

The islands are several inches thick and feel like brillo pads. They contain a series of holes, evenly spaced out, where marsh grasses can be planted. Each one holds between 50 to 60 plants a piece. The idea is, once the islands are anchored, the plants will grow and the roots will eventually collect sediment-- helping build new land within six months to a year.However, an unusual idea is now planting itself here. Over the next several days, 300 volunteers will work to assemble and plant floating islands, which are made out of recycled plastic water bottles.

"We'll put the islands next to those existing marshes and they will act as a buffer to protect the current existing marshes," said Buddy Boe of America's Wetland Foundation. "What we're doing is a restoration and an experiment all at the same time."

The experiment doesn't come cheap, though. They're setting up 1,500 feet of floating islands at a cost of $80 a foot. The project was funded by several organizations and through grant money obtained by Terrebonne Parish.

Biomimicry & Treatment Wetlands

2011-09-16T03:32:00.002-04:00

Biomimicry or biomimetics is the examination of nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements to emulate or take inspiration from in order to solve human problems. The termbiomimicry and biomimetics come from the Greek words bios, meaning life, and mimesi, meaning to imitate. Other terms often used are bionics, bio-inspiration, and biognosis. (source wikipedia)

Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is a new discipline that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. Studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell is an example. I think of it as "innovation inspired by nature." (source http://biomimicryinstitute.org/)

Treatment wetlands play a great role in the biomimicry improvement. It is anture that treat and clean up wastewaters and the final aspect of TWs are really good. Here below some images of floating treatment wetland systems

(image of floating island international)

(images of tech-ia system)

the fastest TW planting

2011-08-29T11:54:00.001-04:00

Hi here the fastest treatment wetland planting that you have never seen. 1 minutes and 53 seconds for 200 square meters with 1200 plants of Canna indica and Iris pseudacorus. See and laugh... that's me and Dr. Matteo Tamburini last June 2011.

and this below is a picture of today.

WWF PANDA and treatment wetlands in CHINA!!!

2011-08-23T12:47:00.000-04:00

From www.wwf.panda.org:
WWF’s Constructed Courtyard Wetland project is just one part of a comprehensive water resources protection and demonstration programme that began in 2008. Other projects include the restoration of the natural ecology of rivers, as well as the promotion of rural biogas and environmentally friendly cultivation. Based on the success of the Constructed Courtyard Wetland project, WWF is planning to expand operations in Yuantian and other villages.

The project demonstrates WWF-China’s approach to conservation, that is, one that balances the social, economic and ecological needs of the Upper Yangtze region. With 9 million rural residents out of a total population of 1.4 billion, rural living will continue to be a core way of life in China's future. Creating models that demonstrate sustainability and create cleaner water will not only further support biodiversity conservation, but also greatly benefit human health.
The location of this pilot project is significant. The Yangtze river basin is one of WWF’s global priority places. Here, the Minshan Mountains play a vital role not only as one of the last strongholds of several endangered species including the giant panda, but also in watershed protection for the mighty Yangtze River, regulating the flow of fresh water for more than 400 million people downstream.

More info at this source: http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/freshwater_news/?195532/Constructed-wetland-does-more-than-spruce-up-the-garden

Great deal for Modular Wetland System inc.!

2011-08-23T07:49:00.000-04:00

From www.modularwetlands.com:

San Diego, CA - The Modular Wetland System (MWS) - Linear Stormwater Biofiltration System has been approved for Basic (CULD) and Enhanced (PULD) Treatment. These designations allow for use of the Modular Wetland to be installed and operated in the State of Washington. This system has been verified and approved for removal of TSS and dissolved metals at a loading rate of 1 gpm/sq ft (100 in/hr).

Washington State DOE Findings of Fact:

Capability to remove 99% of TSS
Capability to remove 93% of dissolved Copper
Capability to remove 80.5% of dissolved Zinc

This was accomplished through the Technology Assessment Protocol - Ecology (TAPE) certification process for emerging stormwater treatment technologies. By holding a TAPE Certification, Modular Wetlands, has met applicable design criteria and performance goals for new development and redevelopment within the State of Washington. Modular Wetlands is the only biofilter to utilize horizontal flow to treat various pollutants.

Another TWs in Brasil

2011-08-23T07:27:00.001-04:00

I receive this article from Tamara Horn a Brasilian Biologist that work in treatment wetland solution in Brasil.
This plant is made for 80 apartaments for a total of 10 mc of wastewater and is made in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Fifth International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-5) - "Vetiver and Climate Change"

2011-08-12T03:05:00.000-04:00

This important international conference which will be held at the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow, India, between 28-30 October 2011.

The vetiver grass model promises a natural solution to mitigate the effects of climate change. Leading practitioners, experts, and policy makers associated with Vetiver System applications from all over the world will participate in the conference. This will provide an excellent opportunity for scientists, growers, entrepreneurs, industrialists and environmentalists to interact and share experience on prospects, potential, and opportunities of VS applications.

The conference topics deal on climate change, innovation and research and also Infrastructure and Pollution control with the following topics:

• Rehabilitation of contaminated water and land

• Protection of manmade infrastructure including roads, railroads, building sites, bridges, and other public utilities

Vetiver plant is worldwide use for wastewater treatment and a lot of research and applications established that this plant could be use for a lot of treatment water solution like treatment wetlands.

The Vetiver grass will tolerate high levels of nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals, and agricultural chemicals. The Vetiver System can be used for treating wastewater, rehabilitating mine tailings, stabilizing landfills and general rubbish dumps. The Vetiver System takes up the toxic materials and confines the contaminates to the effected area ( www.vetiver.com).

Here the link to the complete list of vetiver and treatment water documents, reports and research:

http://vetiver.com/g/contaminated_water.htm

Interesting news from South of Italy

2011-08-11T02:41:00.001-04:00

NEWS # 1
Sellia Marina (Calabria - Italy), citizens petition to the mayor for adopting the tretment wetland system.
A) http://www.cn24.tv/news/30145/sellia-marina-petizione-dei-cittadini-al-sindaco-per-adottare-la-fitodepurazione.html
b) http://www.cn24.tv/media/docs/petizione-fito.pdf

Brief translation:
CITIZENS DEMAND
that the Mayor of Sellia Marina (CZ) and the Councillor with responsibility forenvironment intervene promptly, before the next summer and to introduce, among topics of the agenda an upcoming City Council, the discussion of this petition by adopting the necessary measures to give mandate to the office provide technical, downstream of the existing water treatment plants, constructed wetlands systems suitable to reduce the load of pollutants during the summer, the traditional treatment system can not be disposed of properly.
CITY LOCATION
http://comune.selliamarina.cz.it/

NEWS #2 - Area 167: plants between the houses and treated water
http://www.piazzasalento.it/prima-pagina/area-167-piante-tra-le-case-e-acque-depurate/

Brief translation:
One of the speeches were the redevelopment of 167 of Alliste. This suburb has experienced a situation of complete degradation that made it unbearable: a septic tank was not working in the service of 12 apartments, not to mention theopen sewer, clearly visible, situated between two apartment buildings. Now all this is just a bad memory: the sewers were connected to a wetland plant that is a natural system of treatment much more effective than chemical and mechanical.We must move to Berlin to have more examples, and in Puglia is the first plantconstructed wetlands used in an urban context.
CITY LOCATION
http://www.comune.alliste.le.it/

wetland of Sidvell school

2011-06-29T12:30:00.000-04:00

here another special and fantastic project coupling treatment wetland and stormwater cleaning named "THE WETLAND MACHINE OF SIDWELL". By the site http://blog.fabric.ch a complete report about this project. Read the following words and watch the photos:

"Typically, wastewater is drained away via a complex network of tunnels that requires vast financial resources just for its maintenance, an infrastructure that's undoubtedly deteriorating just as fast as tax revenues get siphoned off away from public works budgets to General Motors and Bank of America. Miles and miles away from its point of origin, the water then gets treated in an energy intensive process. But it still isn't entirely clean afterwards. Thus, when discharged, it still poses a risk to bodies of water, contributing in many instances to elevated bacterial count and eutrophication."

http://blog.fabric.ch/index.php?url=archives/718-The-Wetland-Machine-of-Sidwell.html&serendipity[cview]=linear#comments

small modular wetland

2011-06-29T11:36:00.001-04:00

here below the photos of yesterday morning about the last installation of an ArtecAmbiente FAV (small modular wetland). This system is build for 6 persons in North of Italy and resume the vertical treatment wetland functioning and the classical trickling filter in a real small treatment system. (note: the plants of carex, juncus, vetiver and caltha will be transplanted asap next days). It works very well.

VIDEO: treatment wetland planting

2011-06-20T08:06:00.000-04:00

Here a funny real video that show a TW planting with iris pseudacorus and canna indica made by me and Dr. Matteo Tamburini (ETRA spa consultant) in North of Italy. It is an horizontal flow as tertiary treatment after activated sludges treatment plants for more than 7000 p.e. .

See and smile!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLESpuHxvbk

new page on this blog

2011-05-19T08:47:00.002-04:00

Hi, click on the label above to see "my friends projects". Works, thesis and more rise from contacts starts on by TWs blog.

EPA publications list

2011-04-08T08:52:00.001-04:00

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also works on wetland systems. This link drive you to the EPA wetlands programs http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/index.cfm where you can find a lot of information on the "wetland's world", from natural to treatment weltand, from why they are valuable to how EPA protect them..

Here below the links to the complete publications list

1) http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/restore/cwetlands.cfm

a) the useful Manual of CW treatment of municipal wastewaters:
(http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/restore/upload/2004_12_20_wetlands_pdf_Design_Manual2000.pdf)
b) and the link to the North American Database (NADBVersion2): http://firehole.humboldt.edu/wetland/twdb.html

2) another link to publications: http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/wetpubs.cfm
This list include general information as " HANDBOOK OF CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS FOR AGRICULTURE, DOMESTIC, COAL MINES ETC" and other following useful texts.

your TWs into the home. Yes it is possible!

2011-04-04T14:36:00.002-04:00

Here another good reading about TWs, taken from http://inhabitat.com/ and writen by Jessica Dailey.

"When you think of a wastewater treatment plant, you probable picture a vast, unsightly pool surrounded by a concrete facility. You probably do not picture a serene wetland in the lobby of an office building, but that’s exactly how sewage will be treated in the new building of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Design by Worrell Water Technologies, the constructed wetland, called Living Machine, will clean the building’s wastewater to make it suitable for reused in toilets, irrigation, and maintenance.
A Living Machine (http://www.livingmachines.com and http://www.worrellwater.com/) system mimics a tidal wetland, one of nature’s most productive ecosystems.

The constructed wetland is just one of many green technologies that the San Franscisco Public Utilities Commission will be implementing in its new 13-story building. The structure will also generate its own energy through solar panels and wind turbines."

I can add that also wastewatergardens (http://www.wastewatergardens.com/) build functionally and beautiful TWS in Indonesia and this is not a design.. this is real. FANTASTIC!

(Ph. F. Cattin wastewatergardens.com)

GlobalNet21 - a network for the 21st Century

2011-03-08T14:53:00.001-05:00

ALso GlobalNet21 write about treatment wetlands with the artlcle by Pamela on Monday, 10 May 2010 titled "Constructed wetlands: Potential and Benefits". See the full text at http://21st-centurynetwork.com/blog/?p=2876.

GlobalNet21 started as 21st Century Network in April 2007 to discuss some of the great issues of the 21st century and then follow this up with further debate and action. It is about enlarging the Public Square where debate takes place using social networks to bring new audiences of people into that debate.
GlobalNet21 believes that the coming century will be one of the most critical facing the human race and that if we do not tackle the great inequalities within societies and between them then the future will be one of conflict and turmoil. GlobalNet21 embraces the humanistic values of global compassion, personal self-discovery, shared development, planetary concern and a love of community; and it is committed to a more equal society where all are valued.

thanks to:

2011-03-08T14:04:00.000-05:00

YES, thanks to the following for their citation and friendship:

a) Kunihiko Kato, my japanese collegue and friends:
His new web site is also in english. He works on Reed NET Co, Ltd http://reed-net.com/eindex.php.
He build and make research on treatment wetlands for animal and agroindustry wastewaters. His wetlands are really good and treat a lot!

b) rainbow water coalition:
http://rainbowwatercoalition.blogspot.com: a beautiful, complete and really interesting blog with a lot of news on greywater. The Rainbow Water Coalition received an honorable mention as one of the top 30 water blogs. See all the winners at http://www.siswebs.org/water/story.php?title=30_Best_Water_Blogs.
Take a look to the interesting "Colors of water"
The full post ( http://rainbowwatercoalition.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-01-22T10:22:00-08:00&max-results=5

c) landscape architecture:
http://landscapearchitecture.tumblr.com/: Thanks for put into this web a link to the post of the modular system for stormwater treatment.

what about on google search?

2011-03-07T03:26:00.000-05:00

Here below an easy table about the results of google search with the terms of "wetland world".

[Ferrari have 193.000.000 pages, Paris Hilton 64.100.000 pages, Cannondale bikes 8.700.000 pages, Activated sludges 2.640.000 pages, Solar panel 6.970.000 pages]

results for " special offer" on wetland design

2011-03-07T03:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, the two trial months are gone. Thanks a lot to everyones that contact me for questions (a lot of people for fast questions) and project design (Joe from US, Magdalena from Poland, Tamara from Brasil).

special offers for January and February 2011

2011-01-10T10:52:00.003-05:00

We live in the 2.0 world, we are in the cloud computing system, in US there is a test with 60000 laptops without hard disk... well I run this time and for this first two months of 2011 I offer a free of charge first step design.

CONTACT ME I will tell you which could be the best treatment wetland systems for your needs, I'll tell you the surface need, the management needs and more.

After this first stage we can build up together an executive project, the engeneering aspect and search funds (if available) or still be friends!!

greetings and all the best

treatment wetlands and winery wastewaters

2011-01-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

Wastewater of wineries are usually stored some months in tanks or ponds and periodically disposed on the farm’s fields or in the vineyards. This application has a dubious agronomic benefit, because great water amounts with low nutrient concentration (in terms of nitrogen and phosphorus which will be uptake by the crops) are spread. This practice is also typical for the wineries and wrongly considered as the only solution to the wastewaters management.

The winery wastewater production is not regular during the year, and the production range from the end of the Summer to the end of Winter. During this period the application of wastewater to the fields is usually forbidden by the State regulations and by the European best management practices. It is hence necessary build up big tanks or accumulation basins to collect all the effluents produced and spread them in spring time.

Because of these the farmers must build up big tanks or accumulation basin to collect all the effluents product and spread it in Spring time.

To improve the winery management during the harvest and postharvest time, a possibility is to treat the effluents with the constructed wetlands.

Treatment wetland for winery wastewater in central Italy (one month after planting)

The winery produces two kind of wastewaters: waters from the washing of floors and open areas, and waters from the washing of machinery, bottles and storage tanks. Shepherd (2001) refer a production of 3 litres of wastewaters for each litre of vine product. These waters are characterized by low pH value (5-6), high COD and BOD₅content (respectively 1000-45000 mg L^-1 and 300-4000 mg L^-1). The main organic loads are in the first time water flow. With these range inlet and flows values the CW has great potential in the treatment of this kind of polluted water. Masi (2000) and Shepherd (2001) reports large successful application of CW to treat the winery effluents, respectively in Italy and California.

more than 6750 pages view...

2011-01-07T03:29:00.020-05:00

Thanks a lot for your interest on treatment wetlands... more than 6770 pages viewed until today (31 December 2011) from more than 90 Countries. Is a great target for me! thank you so much, Davide

Vetiver: sewage and wastewater treatment in Banda Aceh

2011-01-06T10:56:00.001-05:00

Another good example about reconstruction after natural disaster. A project in Indonesia had set up a real sanitation construction after tsunami. Great...good work!

A summary from "Assessment of Sanitation Standards in Reconstruction in Aceh" by Norm van’t Hof - www.bicg.org :

Reconstruction in Aceh provides an opportunity; to Assess the International Aid & Development Community’s capacity to deliver Sustainable Sanitation in the Developing World.
• In the majority of reconstruction projects, sanitation systems, which comply with Indonesian Law or effectively protect public and environmental health, were not installed.
• Assessment results indicate that, in most cases, International Aid & Development Organizations & Agencies were not able to implement legal/sustainable sanitation systems. This illuminates a skills-gap in a core technical sector of International Aid and Development.
• A few reconstruction projects did successfully implement sustainable/legal sanitation systems.

Vetiver grass is being widely used in wetlands and leach fields in Aceh for two main reasons.

a) Firstly, although wetland plants, reeds, rushes and cattails, are usually recommended, Acehnese living in wetland environments view these plants as invasive weeds and as such they are not acceptable in household gardens.

b) Secondly, vetiver has the desired characteristics needed in biological treatment systems. It has a massive root system, which effectively harvests nutrients, it produces biomass quickly and it can live in high moisture and nutrient rich environments.

more information on http://www.vetiver-indonesia.com/sanitation.htm

VETIVER plant and wastewater treatment

2011-01-05T11:00:00.002-05:00

Vetiveria zizanioides. This plant, commonly known as vetiver grass, is a clump grass originating in south India. There are many cultivars of vetiver grass but those originating in south India are sterile and non invasive.

This plant have a long and strong root system that is usually use for soil erosion control, slope protection, agriculture improvement and also wastewater treatment.

The Vetiver grass will tolerate high levels of nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals, and agricultural chemicals. Can be used for treating wastewater, rehabilitating mine tailings, stabilizing landfills and general rubbish dumps. The plants takes up the toxic materials and confines the contaminates to the effected area.

Here below some photos about applications for water treatment:

(photo: Truong, THE VETIVER SYSTEM

FOR

IMPROVING WATER QUALITY)

I also use vetiver in a research for aquaculture wastewater treatment with floating wetlands.
And the Dick Grimshaw (Founder and Chairman of The Vetiver Network International) send me, when I was an university student, a lot of books and paper related to vetiver plants and his use. It was 1995.

More dwnld books and publications, photos and articles could be found at http://www.vetiver.org/g/pubs.htm

More on applications and all about THE VETIVER SYSTEM at www.vetiver.org

Natural wetlands and Human population

2011-01-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

From Wetlands International an useful book about wetlands and the world that twist around them. This provides a baseline understanding of how people and wetlands are connected, why these linkages are vital and how they can be better managed.

Wetlands and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Understanding the linkages

From Chapter 1 - Introduction:

" People’s health and well being are influenced by water supply, sanitation and hygiene WASH). Interventions to improve these have long been an important aspect of the development agenda. Such interventions are normally based on a community’s needs and local conditions, but in the past they have generally not taken into account linkages with and effects upon the surrounding natural environment and its water sources. Yet WASH interventions interact with natural water sources, such as wetlands in a number of ways:
1. water resources, of a certain quality, are tapped as a source of water inflow;
2. waste flows, usually in the form of lower quality water, are produced and discharged;
3. the natural system receiving the discharge is often either the same as, or connected upstream or downsteam, to the original water resource.

from Box 4.1 The capacity of wetlands to treat waste water
"When a critically high load of pollutants enters a wetland it changes the balance between the various naturally occurring processes. If its treatment capacity is rapidly exceeded, the ecology of the wetland system can exhibit a sudden, drastic change often involving a shift in species dominance and species composition. If there is a steady overloading of the system, this can result in a gradual shift in species composition that will slowly compromise the ability of the wetland to provide water treatment and degrade the important provisioning services of the wetland, such as fish production".

Wetlands International, 2010. Wetlands & Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) - understanding the linkages.
Wetlands International, Ede, The Netherlands.
Published by Wetlands International www.wetlands.org

treatment wetlands on landscapearchitecture.tumblr.com/

2010-12-30T09:45:00.001-05:00

Landscapearchitecture is a beautiful web site with a lot of link on design and arch realizations. Well, now there are also some link about treatment wetlands!!! wery good!!! Here the link (see page 4):

http://landscapearchitecture.tumblr.com/

xxx

a good example from Germany!

2010-12-29T10:29:00.000-05:00

a new publication on constructed wetland:

Technology Review | Constructed wetlands
Overview of subsurface flow constructed wetlands for greywater and domestic wastewater t reatment in developing countries.

From the foreword:

"This publication is an important contribution of the GTZ program “Sustainable sanitation – ecosan” towards the topic of constructed wetlands in developing countries as it provides valuable guidance on using this technology in developing countries for domestic wastewater treatment. The program is commissioned by the German Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The ecological sanitation (ecosan) approach is able to address both: child health which needs to be improved through better household sanitation and wastewater treatment, and sustainable management and safe recycling".

A very beautiful and interesting publication that reports a lot of examples, a complete summary on wetland treatment systems and the best pre.treament, and a full bibliography.!!!

You can find it here:
http://www.susana.org/docs_ccbk/susana_download/2-930-gtz2010-en-technology-review-constructed-wetlands.pdf

The ZER0-m Project

2010-12-12T11:22:00.000-05:00

A key idea in Zer0-M is to integrate water supply, wastewater treatment and reuse. Systems shall be developed which minimise freshwater and potable water consumption but make best-quality freshwater available for high-grade use, e.g. drinking.
On the other side wastewater shall be treated specifically for the planned reuse purpose. All resources contained in the wastewater, namely water and nutrients, shall be reused. The aim is to introduce "low tech - high concept" solutions developed for small communities.

Treatment of components with low tech and low cost treatment processes are:

constructed wetlands
anaerobic digestion
biomembrane treatment
waste stabilisation ponds
composting of sludge and night soil

Reuse:

reuse of treated wastewater for minor domestic purposes as flushing, garden watering but also crop irrigation or landscaping.
reuse of nutrients in agriculture and gardening
rainwater harvesting and reuse options

Several technologies are already available, which allow efficient wastewater treatment and re-use without hygienic risks on a low-cost and easy-to-handle kovach level. These includes sanitation systems with low water consumption, separation of grey and black water, biological treatment of grey water and reuse for non-drinking purposes (e.g. irrigation), bio-membrane reactors for intense treatment, constructed wetlands for extensive treatment, sludge hygienisation for re-use as fertiliser.

The Project was funded by the EU commission, Meda Water programme, Euro Mediterranean Programme for Local Water Management.

Here below two examples of the Technological Demonstration Centres:

(Source: http://www.zer0-m.org/ )

THE SCIENCE BARGE - NEW YORK

2010-12-12T04:28:00.006-05:00

New York Sun Works designed and built ‘The Science Barge’ on the Manhattan waterfront in 2006, and operated the facility for three years. The Science Barge was the first demonstration of high yield, commercial grade urban food production with near zero net carbon emissions. Off-grid and off-pipe, the hydroponic greenhouse on The Science Barge was powered by wind and solar, heated with vegetable oil, and irrigated by rainwater. The barge has been featured by National Geographic, Science, Dan Rather Reports, ABCWorld News, Le Monde, Urban Land, Sustain, and Good, among dozens of other national and international media. The Science Barge is currently operated by a local organization in Yonkers, NY. (SOURCE : http://nysunworks.org/ ).

Well, is obviously that in a project like this.... THERE IS A TREATMENT WETLAND! look at the photos below:

Greywater Reuse

2010-12-12T03:14:00.005-05:00

The Potential of Greywater Systems to Aid Sustainable Water Management

As pressures on freshwater resources grow around the world and as new sources of supply

become increasingly scarce, expensive, or politically controversial, efforts are underway to

identify new ways of meeting water needs.

Greywater is distinguished from more heavily contaminated “black water” from toilets. In many utility systems around the world, greywater is combined with black water in a single domestic wastewater stream. Yet greywater can be of far higher quality than black water because of its low level of contamination and higher potential for reuse.

When greywater is reused either onsite or nearby, it has the potential to reduce the demand for new water supply, reduce the energy and carbon footprint of water services, and meet a wide range of social and economic needs.

In particular, the reuse of greywater can help reduce demand for more costly high-quality potable water.

A greywater system, on the other hand, captures water that has been used for some purpose, but has not come into contact with high levels of contamination, e.g., sewage or food waste. This

water can be reused in a variety of ways. For instance, water that has been used once in a shower, clothes washing machine, or bathroom sink can be diverted outdoors for irrigation.

There are pilot greywater systems that divert greywater from showers and sinks into treatment wetlands or other plant- and soil-based filters. For example, in Berlin, Germany, a 60 square meter engineered wetland constructed in the courtyard of a housing settlement has been operating successfully for eight years (Nolde Grey Water Recycling).

Greywater from bath tubs, showers, sinks, and washing machines enters the plant-covered soil filter where it undergoes biological treatment. Ultra violet disinfection has been included as a final safety measure before the use in toilet flushing (Deutsche BauBeCon, 1995, 1996). Extensive investigations over several years of operation have shown that within the soil filter, E. coli concentrations were reduced by over 99% and all hygiene requirements have been achieved under the EU-Guidelines for Bathing Waters.

(source: http://www.pacinst.org/reports/greywater_overview/greywater_overview.pdf )

treatment wetlands are a good option after natural disasters

2010-12-08T04:44:00.004-05:00

Treatment wetlands are a good technology. This kind of treatment system could be implemented fastly after natural disasters. The tsunami of December 2004 destroyed infrastructure in many coastal areas in SouthEast Asia. In January 2005 the Danish Government gave a tsunami relief grant to Thailand to reestablish the wastewater management services in some of the areas affected by the tsunami through the development of appropriate wastewater collection and treatment systems. The centralised, highly engineered wastewater treatment systems that have been established in Thailand and other South-East Asian countries during the past decades have generally been largely disappointing.

Well, Prof. Hans Brix designed one of the most beautiful treatment wetland plant. This have the shape of a butterfly and a flower.

The wastewater management system comprises a separate wastewater collection system, an underground pumping station, siphon distribution systems, polishing ponds, water reuse storage tanks, and three types of constructed wetlands: vertical subsurface flow wetlands, horizontal subsurface flow wetlands, and free-water surface flow wetlands. The chosen design segments each phase of the treatment process into a different portion of the flower and butterfly, and beautiful flowers, such as Cannae and Heliconia, are planted in the wetlands to make it

aesthetically pleasing.

(text source: http://www.ecowaterinfra.org/knowledgebox/documents/

CW%20in%20 Tsunami%20affected%20area.pdf)

Decentralised wastewater management using constructed wetlands in Nepal

2010-12-08T03:49:00.004-05:00

In Nepal, the Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) with technical support from a Nepali Ph.D Scholar from University of Natural Resource and Applied Life Sciences Vienna introduced CW for wastewater treatment in 1997 by constructing the first plant at Dhulikhel Hospital (Shrestha, 1999).

Since then, the interest in this technology has been growing and more than a dozen constructed wetlands have been established for various applications such as the treatment of hospital wastewater, grey water, septage, landfill leachate, institutional wastewater and municipal wastewater.

The first constructed wetland treatment plant in Dhulikhel was designed to treat 10 m3 /day of wastewater but it is successfully treating more than four times that amount. (Shrestha et. al, 2000) Satisfied with the performance of the treatment plant, the hospital is now expanding the capacity of the plant.

Recently, ENPHO with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), UNHABITAT, WaterAid Nepal, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality and the local people have established the first community-based wastewater treatment system in Nepal using this technology. The Urban Environment Improvement Project (UEIP) which is being implemented in eight urban

centres with the assistance ADB is now in the process of constructing 18 more plants in these towns. A list of operating CWs in Nepal is given in Table 2. (Shrestha and Shrestha, 2004).

(text source: http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/decentralised_

wastewater_management_using_constructed_wetlands_in_nepal.pdf)

Europe Aid - brief summary of Dr. Koos Richelle and Gary Quince

2010-11-29T05:08:00.005-05:00

Hi, last week I were in Bruxelles for the seminar "Water supply and wastewater treatment in EU external aid programmes". Here there where interesting presentations on different aspects on EU actions and funds.

Dr. Richelle, director general of Europe Aid (http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_it.htm), held an interesting presentation. He had talk about the MDGs-goal n. 7 and target 10 (halve by 2015 the proportion of people without basic sanitation), target 31 ( proportion of people with access to improved sanitation, urban and rural).

He also report that 2,5 billion of people do not have access to sanitation.

From 2004 to 2009 the EU Commission programmes with a budget of 2,145 euro billion, gave access to improved drinking water to 32 million of persons and improved sanitation facilities to 9,5 million persons (That's great!)

Dr. Quince, director of ACP area in Europe Aid, said that in 2009 were signed contracts under EDF for 4,3 euro billion, were lunched 75 tenders for

works contracts and 125 tenders for service contracts.

the United Nations MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

2010-11-28T10:35:00.006-05:00

What about the Millenium Development goals (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals)....great targets but how many of these are really accessible with this Society?

for example the 2010 target 7B Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss:

The world has missed the 2010 target for biodiversity conservation, with potentially grave consequences
Key habitats for threatened species are not being adequately protected
The number of species facing extinction is growing by the day, especially in developing countries
Overexploitation of global fisheries has stabilized, but steep challenges remain to ensure their sustainability

and what about the Target 7.C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

The world is on track to meet the drinking water target, though much remains to be done in some regions
Accelerated and targeted efforts are needed to bring drinking water to all rural households
Safe water supply remains a challenge in many parts of the world
With half the population of developing regions without sanitation, the 2015 target appears to be out of reach
Disparities in urban and rural sanitation coverage remain daunting
Improvements in sanitation are bypassing the poor

For the target 7.C we are still on time to run this challenge... and treatment wetlands could be one of the right ways to reach the points above to improve the sanitation on rural areas

NEWS: the modular system for stormwater treatment

2010-10-18T03:41:00.009-04:00

The Modular Wetland System - Linear utilizes multi-stage treatment processes including the revolutionary filter media (BioMediaGREEN) for primary filtration followed by a 4th generation sub-surface flow wetland for biological remediation of stormwater treatment. The Modular Wetland System - Linear incorporates capture, screening, hydrodynamic separation, advanced media filtration, bioretention, and high flow bypass into a modular pre-cast concrete structure.

Great idea, important innovation in wetland systems. (more info at the official web site: http://www.modularwetlands.com).

significant systems in Hokkaido... they work very well!!!

2010-10-16T14:10:00.005-04:00

Here I present some good realizations of wetland systems build in the cold Hokkaido island in Japan where Winter time is severe. My dear friend Kunihiko Kato, researcher at National Agricultural Research Center for Hokkaido Region (Japan) design six treatment wetlands for animal wastewater (pigs, dairy milking parlour) and agroindusty (potato starch processing). The photos below show the plants before and after plants growing, how they are integrated in the environment and a spectacular image under snow.

Dr. Kato follow by chemical analysis the performance of all the plants and they are very good, with an average reduction of 80% for total phosphorus, 90 % for COD, 80 % for total nitrogen. Congratulation Kunihiko.

small treatment wetland

2010-10-14T05:52:00.003-04:00

Here two particular small wetland systems build for two person, both in North of Italy. Great plants, great flowers (canna and lythrum), perfect functioning...(source www.artecambiente.it)

wastewater gardens international

2010-10-14T05:27:00.003-04:00

I'm glad and honored to tell to everybodies that now I'm officially member of the great international team "WASTEWATER GARDENS" established by Mark Nelson at Biosphere project.

http://wastewatergardens.com/

project Fitosuini

2010-07-25T05:40:00.005-04:00

Here again some photos of the great constructed wetland for the treatment of swine effluents. 110 m2 of bed treat 2-3 cubic meters. As soon as possible few data of the treatment performances.

more info at: http://www.fitosuini.oneminutesite.it/

the best Treatment wetlands books

2010-06-17T03:20:00.003-04:00

I list below the best books you can use for design and understand the wetland systems (buy online onhttp://www.amazon.com/ orhttp://www.ibs.it/):

Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape

(Craig S. Campbell, Michael Ogden)

Treatment Wetlands, Second Edition

(Robert H. Kadlec, Scott d Wallace)

Biogeochemistry of Wetlands: Science and Applications

(K. Ramesh Reddy, Ronald D. DeLaune)

Wetland Plants: Biology and Ecology

(Julie K. Cronk , M. Siobhan Fennessy)

Wastewater Treatment in Constructed Wetlands with Horizontal Sub-Surface Flow (Environmental Pollution)

(Jan Vymazal, Lenka Kröpfelová)

Small Scale Constructed Wetland Treatment Systems: Feasibility, Design Criteria and O&M Requirements (Werf Reports)

(S D Wallace, R L Knight)

Efficient Management of Wastewater, Its Treatment and Reuse in Water Scarce Countries”,

(Al Baz Ismail, Otterpohl Ralf, Wendland Claudia)

Constructing a wetland model

2010-06-11T10:17:00.000-04:00

Fantastic.. visit the site http://www.play-with-water.ch, build up your own domestic wetland and play with it.From the "play-with-water" web site I report this summary that allow you to build up a teaching wetland:

Time requirement
Preparation time: 2-3 hours (incl. shopping)
Teaching time: 1.5 hours

Material requirement

1 transparent plastic box 35*23*31cm
15 kg of gravel 4-16mm
25 litre of expanded clay (LECA) 1-4 mm
2 plastic buckets (10 litres)
25 cm transparent plastic hoses, diameter 20 mm
1 plastic water tap (with screw and nut)
1 measure cup 1 litre
1 measuring tape (tailor)
1 roll adhesive tape
plants: e.g. indoor plants,
Umbrella Papyrus (Cyperus alternifolius), rush (Juncus spec.)
additional equipment (scissors, pen, sponge, towel, paper, etc.)

UNEP & constructed wetland

2010-06-10T05:17:00.000-04:00

The United Nations Environment Programme

International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC)

Division of Technology, Industry and Economics

have a specific focus on Water and Sanitation ActivitiesAbuot this, they speech on Phytotechnology and Water. From the http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/ web site:

"The term Phytotechnology is the application of science and engineering to study problems and provide solutions involving vegetation to a variety of environmental conditions. It is based on use of the ecosystem services provided by plants. Some examples of its application include the reduction and control of pollution through wetland systems, restoration of degraded natural or industrial land, carbon sinks and ameliorating the effects and impacts of climate change.

IETC application of Phytotechnology relates to the use of wetlands for water quality, and sanitation improvement, wastewater treatment as well as for the restoration of degraded aquatic ecosystems. Artificially constructed wetlands are considered as one of the best options due to their low costs and environmental and social friendliness particularly when compared with other conventional technological approaches. To facilitate the design of artificial subsurface flow wetlands a software application has been developed (SubWet 2.0) while SufWet 1.0 for surface flow wetland systems, and WetRestore wetland restoration assessment.

IETC has implemented a project in Brazil using SubWet 2.0 and Iraq to treat domestic wastewater. The forthcoming project Sanitation and Water Efficiency Enhancing Technologies (SWEET) uses SubWet 2.0 as one of the main tools. A self-learning Interactive Training Package considering the above mentioned software application and others will be produced during the 2010."

More info about the vision of UNEP on constructed wetland: http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/publications/freshwater/watershed_manual/03_management-10.pdf

great idea in The Radix Ecological Sustainabilty Center

2010-06-10T04:25:00.000-04:00

In the site http://radixcenter.org you can find a lot of great solutions to promote ecological literacy and environmental stewardship through educational programs based around demonstrations of sustainable technologies.

The following constructed wetland was developed by Radix Center: Fantastic!

from the site http://radixcenter.org: "This system consists of several bathtubs filled with gravel, which have water plants growing inside them. Wastewater passing through the aerobic root zones of the plants is cleaned by the bacteria living there. The bacteria consume organic nutrients while the plants themselves uptake nitrogen and phosphorus. By the time it exists the system, the water has been made safe for reuse in irrigating vegetable crops. Plants used in this system include: bulrush, taro, cattail, papyrus, swamp hibiscus, canna lilly and phragmittes reeds.

treatment wetland and big city

2009-10-08T09:53:00.000-04:00

YES...WE CAN also set up a treatment wetland system for a big city wastewater volume. This is just been done like in Beja (Portugal) or in Jesi (Italy). Here the wetland is the secondary or tertiary treatment step (after activated sludge or lagoon). In Beja are treated the waters of 30.000 person and the treated water are used for watering the golf fields...

here below an useful image (by GianVIN) that show also the light impact of the systems...

the UNEP environmentally sound technologies for Caribbean Islands

2009-10-08T08:16:00.000-04:00

As highlighted in the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action, waste management is a major concern for small island developing States.

UNEP with Caribbean Environmental Health Institute write the Environmentally sound technologies for integrated management of solid, liquid and hazardous waste for SIDS in the Caribbean Region.

Many technologies have been used in the Caribbean but, for many reasons have failed including: inappropriate tecn., insufficient operation practices, lack of funding and lack of personnel to manage the treatment plant. One of the best tecnologies listed in the UNEP publication and able to manage the Caribbean wastewaters is constructed wetland. In the UNEP document is also write ... " Increasingly being recommended ". see page 108 of the document at the following link: http://www.training.gpa.unep.org/documents/a_directory_of_environmentally_sound_

technologies_for_the_integrated_management_of_solid_liquid_and_hazardous_waste

_for_sids_in_the_caribbean_region_unepcaricom_2004_1_english.pdf

anche wired italia si occupa di fitodepurazione...

2009-10-06T08:28:00.000-04:00

the japanese designer Jun Yasumoto study the first constructedwetland shower.. read more: http://www.wired.it/news/archivio/2009-08/12/la-doccia-ecologica.aspx

Here below two photos of the idea:

here again some different treatment wetland

2009-10-04T12:14:00.001-04:00

1) wetland for two person (www.artecambiente.it) build in North of Italy

2) my floating wetland in Brescia (this is my first patent in the treatment wetland field)

(first stage grow of iris in tech-ia system)

(grow of phragmites in the tech-ia system)

(grow of typha in the tech-ia system, plants are 2,2 m high)

(first application of floating wetland in Oasi di Cervara in North of Italy)

3) moon wetland in Algeria by WASTEWATERGARDENS.COM

caribbean treatment wetlands

2009-09-27T07:03:00.001-04:00

... I'M SEARCHING PARTNERS ( TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE) FOR DEVELOPING CONSTRUCTED WETLAND IN ANTIGUA AND THE OTHER CARIBBEAN ISLANDS.

There're a lot of money and grant program to do this!

constructed wetland and swine wastewaters

2009-09-27T06:36:00.000-04:00

Here the photos of the innovative swine wastewater treatment system in North of Italy.

Within ArtecAmbiente srl (www.artecambiente.it) and Master Pig Farm was developed an innovative sludge and liquid treatment plant. With an easy and economic solid/liquid separator the pig effluent is treated: the liquid fraction goes to a nitro-denitro primary treatment and then in a constructed wetland, and the solid goes to a compost system. The first result obtained are very good.

1) an overall photo of the reedbed (after 3 months of planting):

2) the inlet wastewater (the green color is the trace liquid for research porpouse).

3) the outlet: FANTASTIC!!!

again photos

2009-06-21T10:56:00.000-04:00

1) AQUANOVA project at Padova University. the aim was testing hornamental plants vs phragmites australis. The plants used were canna, iris, menta, lythrum, pontederia, thalia, lysimachia.

2) from WASTEWATERGARDENS INT: in Australia and Bahamas

some photos of constructed wetlands:

2009-06-21T10:49:00.001-04:00

1) a wetland built by Artecambiente srl in Italy with extreme surface reduction. First an horizontal bed and then two vertical bed place in series.

2) a wetland of 2.4 ha in Portugal in Beja city. The treated water is reutilized for irrigation.

HERE THE LIST OF MY PAPERS

2009-06-21T10:43:00.003-04:00

1) Tocchetto D., 2002. Giardini in fiore ma senza sprechi. Periodico di informazione del Consorzio di Bonifica Pedemontano Brentella di Pederobba n.1/2002.
2) Borin M., Tocchetto D., 2004. “Reti ecologiche e qualità del territorio agrario”, poster presentato nell’ambito di Fieragricola 2004 – Verona, presso lo stand CNR-IBAF nel salone tematico “Vivere il territorio”. Verona.
3) Borin M., Tocchetto D., 2004. “Fasce tampone e acqua”, poster presentato nell’ambito di Fieragricola 2004 – Verona, presso lo stand CNR-IBAF nel salone tematico “Vivere il territorio”. Verona.
4) Tocchetto D., Giannini G., Pinarelli M., Manfredi Rasponi Dalle TesteG., 2004. Fattoria Barbialla nuova: una tenuta di 500 ha verso l’equilibrio agro-ambientale, Atti Convegno Internazionale “Il sistema rurale. Una sfida per la progettazione tra salvaguardia, sostenibilità e governo delle trasformazioni”, Milano, 13-14 ottobre 2004, p. 525-532.
5) Borin M., Tocchetto D., 2005. Reti ecologiche: significato e funzionalità nell’agro-ecosistema. Alberi e Territorio, n. 3/2005, p. 36-43.
6) Borin M., Tocchetto D., 2005. Gestione dei reflui, un aiuto dalla fitodepurazione. Informatore zootecnico, n. 4/2005, p. 30-36.
7) Borin M., Tocchetto D., 2005. A constructed surface flow wetland for treating agricultural drainage waters. A period balance from 1998 to 2002. Proceeding of International Symposium on Wetland Pollutant Dynamics and Control, Ghent, 5-8 September 2005.
8) Borin M., Tocchetto D., 2005. The agro-environmental structures and their multiple roles at local scale. A case study in the River Sile Natural Park (Italy). Proceeding of International Association of Landscape Ecology (UK) Conference 2005, 'Landscape Ecology: Planning, People and Practice - the landscape ecology of sustainable landscapes'. Northampton, 12-16 September 2005.
9) Borin M., Tocchetto D., Agricoltura di terza generazione, paesaggio e storia locale. Analisi agro-ambientale e culturale del territorio di Rolle. Atti X Convegno internazionale IPSAPA “Il Mosaico paesistico culturale come volano per il turismo e risorsa per le comunità locali”. Udine 3-4 Novembre 2005.
10) Tocchetto D., Borin M..(2006) Agro-environmental structures and their multiple roles in the countryside: Changing during half a century in Sile Natural Park (N-E Italy). ELO Newsletter 1-2006, Bruxelles.
11) Borin M., Tocchetto D. (2006) Applicazione della fitodepurazione in impianti di acquacoltura nel Veneto. Il Pesce, 1-2006
12) Borin M., Tocchetto D., (2006). Ornamental plants in sub-surface horizontal flow treatment system, iwa mACROPHYTE NEWSLETTER, 5-2006
13) Borin M., Tocchetto D., (2006). Observations on ornamental macrophytes for their potential use in subsurface flow wetland systems. Proceeding of IWA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, LISBON 200614) Bortolini L., Tocchetto D. (2006). Performance di alcuni impianti di microirrigazione in aziende collinari del Veneto. Primi risultati del progetto AQUAVITIS. Atti 9° Convegno nazionale di agrometeorologia "AGROMETEOROLOGIA E GESTIONE DELLE COLTURE AGRARIE"- Torino 6-8 Giugno 2006
15) Tocchetto D., Borin M.(2006). Evaluation of floating vegetated systems to reduce the effluent loads from channel rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) farms. Proceedings International Conference AQUA 2006. Florence May 2006
16) Tocchetto D., Borin M. (2006). Ruolo, funzione ed evoluzione delle strutture di rete ecologica nel territorio del Parco Naturale Regionale Del Fiume Sile XI Convegno Interdisciplinare IPSAPA/ISPALEM: Rarità, utilità e bellezza nell’evoluzione sostenibile del mosaico paesistico-culturale. Udine 26-27 Ottobre 2006.
17) Borin M., Tocchetto D., (2006). Winery wastewater treatment with constructed wetland in north of Italy. System start up and first results. Proceeding IV International Conference on Sustainable Viticulture. Vina del Mar, Chile, 5-8 Novembre 2006.
18) Tocchetto D., Lajo M., (2006). La fitodepurazione per il trattamento delle acque di prima pioggia. Potenzialità. Atti IV Giornata di Studio “Gestione delle Acque e Ambiente Urbano Sostenibile”, Genova, Dicembre 2006.
19) Borin M., Tocchetto D. (2007). Acque reflue? Ci pensano le piante. VQ vite, vino e qualità, n.2 Marzo 2007.
20) Borin M., Tocchetto D. (2007). A constructed surface flow wetland for treating agricultural drainage waters. Water and nitrogen balance from 1998 to 2002. Science of the total Environment. Volume 380 1-3- Special issue: “Contaminants in Natural and Constructed Wetlands”.
21) Tocchetto D., Borin M. (2007). Integrated project coupling biogas production and constructed wetland for treating animal slurries. Proceeding of International conference on Multi Functions of Wetland Systems, Legnaro (PD), Italy, 26-29 June 2007.
22) Tocchetto D., Borin M. (2007). Floating vegetated systems to reduce the effluent loads in aquaculture farms. Performance and system evolution. Proceeding of International conference on Multi Functions of Wetland Systems, Legnaro (PD), Italy, 26-29 June 2007.
23) Cossu R., Alibardi L., Codromaz P., TocchettoD. and Borin M. (2007). A pilot system for energy production using anaerobic digestion and constructed wetland in a mountain hut. Proceeding of International conference on Multi Functions of Wetland Systems, Legnaro (PD), Italy, 26-29 June 2007.
24) Tocchetto D., 2007. La fitodepurazione. Notiziario della Scuola agraria del Parco di Monza, anno 20, n. 2/2007.
25) Tocchetto D., 2007. Treatment of Wastewater with Natural Systems and Reuse of Clean Water for Different Applications in the Caribbean Islands. Proceedings of CWWA2007 Conference 1-5 Oct 2007, Caribbean Wastewater Association Conference 2007, St. Kitts, West Indies.
26) Salvato M., Tocchetto D., and Borin M. (2007). Analysis of bird and carabida population to assess the biodiversity in agricultural areas in North East Italy. Agronomy conference Catania September 2007.
27) Tocchetto D., Lajo M., 2007. Fitodepurazione: applicazioni e vantaggi. L’Ambiente n. 5/2007, pag. 48-51.
28) Tocchetto D., 2007. “L’approccio agronomico – elementi di fitodepurazione”. In Lajo M., Luther P., 2007 “Biopiscine. Progettazione ed esecuzione. Tecniche – normativa. Sistemi editoriali, Ottobre 2007, pp.gg. 117-128
29) Tocchetto D., Simonetti G., Salvato M., Borin M., 2008. “In-stream floating vegetated systems to reduce effluent loads”: Proceedings of “8th International Wetlands Conference INTECOL” (Cuiabà Brasile 20-25 Luglio 2008) p. 32.
30) De Stefani G., Tocchetto D., Salvato M., Borin M., 2009. Applications of floating system for in stream water treatment, Proceeding of 4th Annual Meeting of the European Chapter of the Society of Wetlands Scientists (SWS), Erkner, Germany, p 140-141.

31) F. Oggionni, M. Borin, D. Tocchetto, M. Salvato, G. De Stefani, 2009. Impianto di fitodepurazione flottante in una vasca di laminazione. Poster e abstract negli Atti del Convegno Nazionale di Idraulica Urbana, Milano 6-9 Ottobre 2009.

32) De Stefani, G., Borin, M., Salvato, M.,Tocchetto, D. (2009). Floating flowering system to improve water quality and aesthetic value of water zones. Proceeding of International Symposium BLUE in ARCHITECTURE 09 – Water, Climate Change and Architecture, Venezia 24-27/09/09
33) Debabeche M, Lajo M, Tocchetto D, Abibsi N., Mimeche L., Borin M.,Caravello G. (2010). Eaux usees epurees par phytoepuration pour l’irrigation des espaces verts urbains dans un climat aride. Proceedings of 5th International Conférence water resources in mediterranean basin "watmed5" May 26-28 2010, Lille, France.
34) De Stefani G., Tocchetto D., Borin M. (2010). Performance of a floating system as tertiary treatment for urban wastewater. Proceeding of 12th International conference on Wetland Systems for water pollution control. October 4-8 2010.
35) De Stefani G., Tocchetto D., Salvato M. and Borin M., 2010. Performance of a floating treatment wetland for in-stream water amelioration in NE Italy. Hydrobiologia, accepted

NO MORE SUB IRRIGATION ! ! !

2009-02-22T11:36:00.000-05:00

e siamo alle solite...come è mai possibile che si preferisca ancora la subirrigazione alla fitodepurazione??? i soliti scavatoristi!!! non funziona!! inquinate!!! BASTA!!! finitela!!! fate case e mettete giù tubi, non uscite dal vs seminato!!!

my last trip...in Africa

2009-01-14T08:30:00.001-05:00

Treatment wetlands, yes we can implement these systems. I'm back now from Algeria where many towns and villages haven't any treatment solutions, where city with 200,000 habitants discharge wastewaters and solids directly in oasis or shallow desert lands without any basic pre-treatment like sedimentation. Don't believe...see the photo below!

A report of my visit is here: http://www.elwatan.com/Universite-Mohamed-Kheider-de Treatment wetlands are the right way also in Africa: costless, easy maintenance, reuse of treated waters in desert land for different purposes. In Algeria there is only one wetlands made by WWG international team (http://www.wastewatergardens.net/).

(this is not petroleum...is liquid shit!) [sorry for the bad word]

what are constructed wetlands?

2008-11-12T09:19:00.001-05:00

Constructed wetlands can be used for primary, secondary and tertiary treatment of municipal or domestic wastewaters, stormwater, agricultural, animal and industrial wastewaters such as landfill leachate, petrochemicals, food wastes, pulp and paper and mining, usually combined with an adequate pre-treatment (Kadlec et al., 2000)

Here a scheme about how they work:

what are treatment wetlands?

2008-11-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

The water quality improvements in natural wetlands
had been observed by scientists and engineers for
many years and this led to the development of
constructed treatment wetlands as an attempt to replicate the
water quality and the habitat benefits of the natural
wetland in a constructed ecosystem with the target of water purification before discharge (EPA 2000).