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

“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 now. I use a simple calculation spreadsheet, I start from some numbers that characterize the polluted wastewaters  whether of human, animal 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, on a lake shore, 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 for 50 years.

Well I’m speaking about a green and sustainable way to clean up polluted waters! A way that originates from Mother Nature. There are not just traditional systems with a lot of pumps that functions all day long, there are not only expensive plants that use chemicals products to reduce pollutions, there are not only plants made with concrete walls and steel pipes. We can follow a natural and green solution, environmentally friendly, able to recreate a green area and working with simple materials. Most of the pollutants are organic, 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  gravel and pipes there. Need any special parts? No! Need energy for its daily functioning? No! Need high education level to manage it? No! TWs are really simple to do and simple to manage 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 0,7 m deep, you need a waterproof plastic coating, you have to fill it with gravel or other porous materials and finally plant 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 operates in Near East is working to found a green school which has a treatment wetlands in the garden, 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 imitatenature 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 derives from natural processes that occur in natural environments. Can someone tell me that it isn’t green? And this green technology can lead to a green economy environment where designers and workers build something  green to treat our non-green waste for a better world.

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

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

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!

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

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)

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

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

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)

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!!!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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.!

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

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"

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

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

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

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

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

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