Staircase Wetlands for the Treatment of Greywater and the Effect of Greywater on Soil Microbes

Ghulam Qadir (), Vanessa Pino, Arianna Brambilla and Fernando Alonso-Marroquin
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Ghulam Qadir: School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Vanessa Pino: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Arianna Brambilla: School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Fernando Alonso-Marroquin: School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-30

Abstract: Fresh water is an increasingly scarce resource in both urban and rural development. As a response to this challenge, non-potable water reuse is on the rise. This research explored a potential off-grid system for water purification, consisting of a staircase wetland with terracotta pot plants working as a filter for greywater. This study further investigated the physicochemical properties of greywater and the soil before and after wetland purification. The removal of total suspended solids, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, etc., was always between 90 and 99%. Results show that the filtered water satisfied all requirements for water reuse, e.g., a pH of 7–7.5 and a turbidity < 5 NTU. This research then uniquely investigated the effect of greywater on soil microbes and soil biomass using soil DNA extraction and the tea bag index testing method. The filtered greywater absorbed by soil decomposed the soil faster (66% for green tea) and stabilized it better compared to tap-water-absorbed soil or unfiltered greywater. DNA generation sequencing revealed no significant differences in alpha diversity between the control and treatment samples. The beta diversity differences were significant. This nature-based solution can lead to reduced loads on the sewage system, resulting in less wastewater generation.

Keywords: climate change; water reuse; soil biodiversity; water recycling; water scarcity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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