Plants Used in Constructed Wetlands for Aquaculture: A Systematic Review

Erick Arturo Betanzo-Torres, Gastón Ballut-Dajud, Graciano Aguilar-Cortés, Elizabeth Delfín-Portela () and Luis Carlos Sandoval Herazo ()
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Erick Arturo Betanzo-Torres: Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Misantla, Tecnológico Nacional de México, ITS de Misantla, Km 1.8 Carretera a Loma del Cojolite, Misantla 93821, CP, Mexico
Gastón Ballut-Dajud: Departamento de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad de Sucre, Carrera 28 No 5-267, Puerta Roja, Sincelejo 700003, Colombia
Graciano Aguilar-Cortés: Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Misantla, Tecnológico Nacional de México, ITS de Misantla, Km 1.8 Carretera a Loma del Cojolite, Misantla 93821, CP, Mexico
Elizabeth Delfín-Portela: Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Misantla, Tecnológico Nacional de México, ITS de Misantla, Km 1.8 Carretera a Loma del Cojolite, Misantla 93821, CP, Mexico
Luis Carlos Sandoval Herazo: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sucre, Carrera 28 No 5-267, Puerta Roja, Sincelejo 700003, Colombia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-31

Abstract: The latest FAO report indicates that aquaculture accounts for 51% of the global production volume of fish and seafood. However, despite the continuous growth of this activity, there is evidence of the excessive use of groundwater in its production processes, as well as pollution caused by nutrient discharges into surface waters due to the water exchange required to maintain water quality in fishponds. Given this context, the objectives of this study were as follows: (1) to review which emergent and floating plant species are used in constructed wetlands (CWs) for the bioremediation of aquaculture wastewater; (2) to identify the aquaculture species whose wastewater has been treated with CW systems; and (3) to examine the integration of CWs with recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs) for water reuse. A systematic literature review was conducted, selecting 70 scientific articles published between 2003 and 2023. The results show that the most used plant species in CW systems were Phragmites australis , Typha latifolia , Canna indica , Eichhornia crassipes , and Arundo donax , out of a total of 43 identified species. These plants treated wastewater generated by 25 aquaculture species, including Oreochromis niloticus , Litopenaeus vannamei , Ictalurus punctatus , Clarias gariepinus , Tachysurus fulvidraco , and Cyprinus carpio , However, only 40% of the reviewed studies addressed aspects related to the incorporation of RAS elements in their designs. In conclusion, the use of plants for wastewater treatment in CW systems is feasible; however, its application remains largely at the experimental scale. Evidence indicates that there are limited real-scale applications and few studies focused on the reuse of treated water for agricultural purposes. This highlights the need for future research aimed at production systems that integrate circular economy principles in this sector, through RAS–CW systems. Additionally, there is a wide variety of plant species that remain unexplored for these purposes.

Keywords: sustainable aquaculture; SDG 6 clean water and sanitation; SDG 14 life below water; ecotechnologies; phytoremediation; wastewater treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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