Enabling Water Reuse by Treatment of Reverse Osmosis Concentrate: The Promise of Constructed Wetlands

• Published in: ACS Environmental Au Vol. 1; no. 1; pp. 7 - 17
• Main Authors: Scholes, Rachel C, Stiegler, Angela N, Anderson, Cayla M, Sedlak, David L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 17.11.2021
• Subjects: constructed wetlands; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; reverse osmosis; wastewater treatment; reverse osmosis; constructed wetlands; wastewater treatment
• ISSN: 2694-2518; 2694-2518
• DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.1c00013

As more cities experience water stress, the use of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for wastewater treatment and reuse will expand. The concentrated waste stream resulting from RO treatment can pose chronic ecotoxicity risks if discharged to surface waters or shallow coastal ecosystems. Most existing RO concentrate treatment technologies are cost prohibitive, but constructed wetlands hold promise as a viable multibenefit solution because they have the potential to provide simultaneous treatment of nutrients, metals, and trace organic contaminants at a relatively low cost. They also are popular with the public. A handful of water-stressed cities have already begun experimenting with constructed wetlands for RO concentrate treatment. However, further research is needed to reduce the land area needed for treatment and increase the reliability of constructed wetland systems.