Enabling Water Reuse by Treatment of Reverse Osmosis Concentrate: The Promise of Constructed Wetlands

As more cities experience water stress, the use of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for wastewater treatment and reuse will expand. The concentrated waste stream resulting from RO treatment can pose chronic ecotoxicity risks if discharged to surface waters or shallow coastal ecosystems. Most existing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS Environmental Au 2021-11, Vol.1 (1), p.7-17
Main Authors: Scholes, Rachel C, Stiegler, Angela N, Anderson, Cayla M, Sedlak, David L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
constructed wetlands
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
reverse osmosis
wastewater treatment
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Summary:As more cities experience water stress, the use of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for wastewater treatment and reuse will expand. The concentrated waste stream resulting from RO treatment can pose chronic ecotoxicity risks if discharged to surface waters or shallow coastal ecosystems. Most existing RO concentrate treatment technologies are cost prohibitive, but constructed wetlands hold promise as a viable multibenefit solution because they have the potential to provide simultaneous treatment of nutrients, metals, and trace organic contaminants at a relatively low cost. They also are popular with the public. A handful of water-stressed cities have already begun experimenting with constructed wetlands for RO concentrate treatment. However, further research is needed to reduce the land area needed for treatment and increase the reliability of constructed wetland systems.
ISSN:2694-2518
2694-2518
DOI:10.1021/acsenvironau.1c00013