There are 2.4 billion people without improved sanitation and another 2.1 billion with inadequate sanitation (i.e. wastewater drains directly into surface waters), and despite improvements over the past decades, the unsafe management of fecal waste and wastewater continues to present a major risk to public health and the environment (UN, 2016). There is growing interest in low cost sanitation solutions which harness natural systems. However, it can be difficult for wastewater utility managers to understand under what conditions such nature-based solutions (NBS) might be applicable and how best to combine traditional infrastructure, for example an activated sludge treatment plant, with an NBS such as treatment wetlands. There is increasing scientific evidence that treatment systems with designs inspired by nature are highly efficient treatment technologies. The cost-effective design and implementation of ecosystems in wastewater treatment is something that exists and has the potential to be further promoted globally as both a sustainable and practical solution. This book serves as a compilation of technical references, case examples and guidance for applying nature-based solutions for treatment of domestic wastewater, and enables a wide variety of stakeholders to understand the design parameters, removal efficiencies, costs, co-benefits for both people and nature and trade-offs for consideration in their local context. Examples through case studies are from across the globe and provide practical insights into the variety of potentially applicable solutions.

MANAGE WASTE AT LOWER COST WITH EMERGING NATURAL SYSTEMS Biologically-based waste management systems are emerging as a more reliable, less costly alternative to conventional energy-intensive mechanical process. If you're involved in planning, designing, building, upgrading or operating waste management facilities, Natural Systems for Waste Management and Treatment, Second Edition, by Sherwood C. Reed, Ronald W. Crites, and E. Joe Middlebrooks, can help you quickly evaluate and adopt one or more of these innovative technologies. Complete with performance data plus easy-to-follow design procedures (with example), it gives you a thorough working backgroud in: Wastewater stabilization ponds; Aquatic treatment systems; Feasibility assessment; Land treatment systems; Wetland systems; Site selection; Planning; Sludge management and treatment; On-site wastewater management; Much more.

This book deals with natural treatment systems and the challenges the water industry faces in dealing with sustainability and the realisation of reaching Net Zero by 2030.Surface waters are all under threat, with freshwater ecosystems now facing unprecedented levels of contamination, even after a century of ever stricter legislation and regulation. The increase in population and especially in urbanization without sufficient planning and investment to ensure adequate wastewater collection and treatment coupled with the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with wastewater treatment is leading to a crisis in wastewater treatment in many countries.Natural treatment systems which use plants and soil micro-organisms are very much nature-based solutions and wherever applicable might offer sustainable and low emissions options for a range of wastewater problems protecting surface waters as well as creating new habitats to support and enhance wildlife diversity. In terms of circularity, natural treatment systems have the potential to produce a staggering array of useful and valuable by-products, including high-value compounds for the pharmaceutical industry.Related Link(s)

Although initially based purely on environmental principles of reuse and recycling, natural waste treatment systems proved to have economic advantages over mechanical systems in many cases, being less expensive to build and operate as well as requiring less energy. Thus, natural waste treatment methods reemerged even as advanced wastewater treatmen

Giving an account of successfully applied and recently developed green remediation technologies for water pollution control, this book describes the scope and applications of nature-based wastewater treatment technologies for environmental sustainability. The major focus is on associated eco-environmental concerns, recent technological developments, field studies, lessons learned, sustainability concerns, and future challenges. It also deals with the development of valuable bioresources together with wastewater treatment for the circular economy. This book: Covers nature-based wastewater treatment systems for the efficient management of wastewater for the protection of precious water resources. Includes development and utilization of useful bioresources, bioenergy, and value-added products together with wastewater treatment for the circular economy. Discusses technological aspects such as design, operation, and maintenance, eco-friendliness, effectiveness, and sustainability concerns. Highlights technological advancements, field experiences, research gaps, recent developments, challenges, and future directions for further improvements. Reviews field studies and challenges between pollution sources, exposure pathways, and impacts on environmental quality and human health. This book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in environmental engineering and sciences, environmental microbiology, and biotechnology.

Calling for ecologically and economically sound wastewater treatment systems, the authors of Natural Wastewater Treatment Systems explore the use of wetlands, sprinkler or deep irrigation, groundwater recharge, and other natural systems as sustainable methods for the treatment and management of wastewater. Based on work by prominent experts in natural waste treatment, this text provides a thorough explanation on how soil and plants can successfully sustain microbial populations in the treatment of wastewater. Determining that natural systems cost less to construct and operate, and require less energy than mechanical treatment alternatives, this book also explains how these processes produce lower amounts of residual solids, and use little or no chemicals. What’s New in the Second Edition: This revised edition includes current design and regulatory and operational developments in the natural wastewater treatment field. It provides detailed examples and analyses along with significant operational data in each chapter. It also considers how processes provide passive treatment with a minimum of mechanical elements, and describes new approaches to partially mixed ponds, including dual-powered aeration ponds. Introduces the planning procedures and treatment mechanisms responsible for treatment in ponds, wetlands, land application, and soil absorption systems Provides new case studies of constructed wetlands and water reuse systems Presents design criteria and methods of pond treatment and pond effluent upgrading Describes constructed wetlands design procedures, process applications, treatment performance data, and land treatment concepts and design equations Includes information on constituents of emerging concern (CEC) and their fate in natural systems The text discusses wastewater pond systems, free water surface constructed wetlands, subsurface and vertical flow constructed wetlands, land treatment, sludge management, and onsite wastewater systems. It describes residuals and biosolids management, including nitrogen removal pretreatment methods, and uses U.S. customary and metric units in all chapters. It presents case studies of new applications of natural systems and includes worked examples of design equations for ponds and land treatment. It also provides a biosolids regulatory update from a top EPA scientist, and algae reduction technologies for ponds and wetlands. Designed for practicing wastewater engineers and scientists involved in the planning, design, and operation of ponds, wetlands, land treatment, biosolids, and onsite soil-based treatment systems, the book integrates many natural treatment systems into one single source.

This book aims to define the concept of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) by using case studies from members of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Water Action Group - NatureWat. NBS is defined and characterized in terms of water source, contaminants, removal mechanisms and resource recovery potential. The case studies presented illustrate the appropriateness of NBS promoting climate resilience. Readers will discover a technology portfolio based on a number of demonstration sites in the fields of climate change adaption, water and wastewater treatment, resource recovery and re-use, and restoring ecosystems to promote the use of nature based solutions. The chapters in the book present a multidisciplinary approach involving social scientists, governance representatives and engineers. The underlying philosophy of the book is the circular economy of water which prioritizes the concepts of resource recovery and resilience within water resource management. The first section of the book presents the background and objectives of the study, and how the action group aims to promote the use of nature based solutions through its diverse technology portfolio. Particular attention is given to the goals of finding cost-effective solutions for wastewater treatment, climate change mitigation, disaster risk reduction, flood protection, greening cities, degraded areas restoration and biodiversity preservation. The chapter on reclaimed water addresses water reuse and defines the term fit for purpose. Barriers and limitations related to NBS for water resource management are discussed. The book concludes with several case studies at local, regional and global levels which illustrate a new approach to water management. These case studies illustrate the application of a hybrid green and grey infrastructure system. This is a combination of traditional engineered infrastructure with nature based solutions which combines centralised and decentralised systems to optimise the reclamation of water for reuse in a fit for purpose model.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are solutions inspired or supported by nature. They include ecosystem conservation and restoration measures, as well as the creation or enhancement of natural processes in man-made ecosystems, such as cities. Recent interest in NbS has emphasized their importance for urban water management and cities across the world have begun to experiment with them. Experiences from different contexts, however, are not adequately captured and understood. This book aims to address this gap by compiling case studies and reviews that explore NbS for urban water management from different regions and perspectives and highlight emerging challenges and opportunities for harnessing their potential.

"This handbook deals with natural treatment systems and the challenges the water industry faces in dealing with sustainability and the realisation of reaching Net Zero by 2030. Surface waters are all under threat, with freshwater ecosystems now facing unprecedented levels of contamination, even after a century of ever stricter legislation and regulation. The increase in population and especially in urbanization without sufficient planning and investment to ensure adequate wastewater collection and treatment coupled with the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with wastewater treatment is leading to a crisis in wastewater treatment in many countries. Natural treatment systems which use plants and soil micro-organisms are very much nature-based solutions and wherever applicable might offer sustainable and low emissions options for a range of wastewater problems protecting surface waters as well as creating new habitats to support and enhance wildlife diversity. In terms of circularity, natural treatment systems have the potential to produce a staggering array of useful and valuable by-products, including high-value compounds for the pharmaceutical industry"--

A-Z guide to soil/plant/microbe-based wastewatertreatment Engineers and planners eager to benefit from the costefficiencies and convenience of land treatment of waste will find practical guidelines in this comprehensive manual. It covers soil hydraulics, vegetation selection, site selection, field investigations, preapplication treatment and storage, and transmission and distribution of wastewater. You're introduced to: Design procedures and appropriate uses for each of the three land treatment processes: soils, plants, and microbiological agents Special attributes of food processing wastewater, with 6 case studies The use of biosolids produced by mechanical treatment systems as crop nutrients Options for preapplication treatment, including ponds and constructed wetlands Much more