A review on the application of constructed wetlands for the removal of priority substances and contaminants of emerging concern listed in recently launched EU legislation

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) 2017-08, Vol.227, p.428-443
• Main Authors: Gorito, Ana M., Ribeiro, Ana R., Almeida, C.M.R., Silva, Adrián M.T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Constructed wetlands; Contaminants of emerging concern; Directive 2013/39/EU; Environmental Policy; Estradiol - analysis; Estrone; Ethinyl Estradiol - analysis; Ethylene Dichlorides; European Union; Hexachlorobenzene - analysis; Micropollutants; Organothiophosphorus Compounds; Phenols; Priority substances; Waste Disposal, Fluid - legislation & jurisprudence; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Waste Water; Watch List of Commission Decision 2015/495/EU; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution, Chemical - legislation & jurisprudence; Water Pollution, Chemical - statistics & numerical data; Wetlands
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.04.060

The presence of organic pollutants in the aquatic environment, usually found at trace concentrations (i.e., between ng L−1 and μg L−1 or even lower, known as micropollutants), has been highlighted in recent decades as a worldwide environmental concern due to their difficult elimination by conventional water and wastewater treatment processes. The relevant information on constructed wetlands (CWs) and their application for the removal of a specific group of pollutants, 41 organic priority substances/classes of substances (PSs) and 8 certain other substances with environmental quality standards (EQS) listed in Directive 2013/39/EU as well as 17 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) of the Watch List of Decision 2015/495/EU, is herein reviewed. Studies were found for 24 PSs and 2 other substances with EQS: octylphenol, nonylphenol, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, trichloromethane, dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, pentachlorobenzene, benzene, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, naphthalene, fluoranthene, trifluralin, alachlor, isoproturon, diuron, tributyltin compounds, simazine, atrazine, chlorpyrifos (chlorpyrifos-ethyl), chlorfenvinphos, hexachlorobenzene, pentachlorophenol, endosulfan, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (or DDT) and dieldrin. A few reports were also published for 8 CECs: imidacloprid, erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, diclofenac, estrone, 17-beta-estradiol and 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol. No references were found for the other 17 PSs, 6 certain other substances with EQS and 9 CECs listed in EU legislation. [Display omitted] •Directive 2013/39/EU includes 41 organic priority substances/classes of substances.•Watch List of Decision 2015/495/EU defines 17 contaminants of emerging concern.•Removal of these water micropollutants by constructed wetlands (CWs) is reviewed.•The need to study removal by CWs of more of these substances is emphasized.•More works with realistic concentrations/matrices on CWs are needed. More studies are needed to fully support the application of constructed wetlands for the treatment of water/wastewater containing organic pollutants defined in recently launched EU legislation.