"WETWALL” : an innovative design concept for the treatment of wastewater at an urban scale
2018
Rising temperatures, increasing food demand and scarcity of water and land resources highlight
the importance of promoting the sustainable expansion of agriculture to our urban environment,
while preserving water resources. Treating urban wastewaters, such as greywater and hydroponic
wastewater, may represent a strategic point for the implementation of urban farming, ensuring
food security, reducing pressures on water resources and promoting climate change mitigation. The
WETWALL design concept proposes a unique ecotechnology for secondary wastewater treatment
at an urban scale, which brings the novelty of a modular living wall hybrid flow. This concept is
based on the integration of two established nature-based solutions/ecomimetic designs: constructed
wetlands and a modular living walls. First presented is an overview about the state of the art in the
scope of living walls treating wastewater, in order to identify the main design aspects related to the
performance of such systems, which mainly concerns the removal of nitrates and phosphates. Second,
the WETWALL design concept is presented. A scheme regarding the selection of the main components,
such as plants and substrate, is proposed, and potential structure developments and operation
strategies are discussed. In addition, considering the scope of integrating the circular economy with
the design process, potential interactions between this technology and the urban environment are
discussed. The main goal of this article is to substantiate the potential of the WETWALL design concept
as an innovative wastewater treatment at an urban scale.
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