Qadir, G.; Pino, V.; Brambilla, A.; Alonso-Marroquin, F. Staircase Wetlands for the Treatment of Greywater and the Effect of Greywater on Soil Microbes. Sustainability2023, 15, 6102.
Qadir, G.; Pino, V.; Brambilla, A.; Alonso-Marroquin, F. Staircase Wetlands for the Treatment of Greywater and the Effect of Greywater on Soil Microbes. Sustainability 2023, 15, 6102.
Qadir, G.; Pino, V.; Brambilla, A.; Alonso-Marroquin, F. Staircase Wetlands for the Treatment of Greywater and the Effect of Greywater on Soil Microbes. Sustainability2023, 15, 6102.
Qadir, G.; Pino, V.; Brambilla, A.; Alonso-Marroquin, F. Staircase Wetlands for the Treatment of Greywater and the Effect of Greywater on Soil Microbes. Sustainability 2023, 15, 6102.
Abstract
Fresh water is an increasingly scarce resource in both urban and rural developments. As a response to this challenge, non-potable water reuse is on the rise. This research explored a potential off-grid system for water purification, consisting of a staircase wetland with terracotta pot plants working as a filter for greywater. The study further investigated the physicochemical properties of the greywater and the soil before and after the wetland purification. Results showed that the filtered water satisfied all requirements for water reuse, e.g., pH, turbidity, and total coliforms. The research then uniquely investigated the effect of greywater on the soil biodiversity and soil biomass using soil DNA extraction and the tea bag index testing method. The filtered greywater absorbed by soil decomposed the soil faster and stabilized it better compared to tap water-absorbed soil or unfiltered greywater. The DNA generation sequencing revealed no significant differences in alpha diversity between control and treatment samples. The beta diversity differences were significant. This nature-based solution can lead to reduced load on the sewage system, resulting in less wastewater generation.
Keywords
sustainability; water recycling; grey water reuse; soil biodiversity; climate change; water scarcity
Subject
Engineering, Civil Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
