Courtesy / Uminho
UMINHO researcher uses artificial moist zones to treat and reuse water in an efficient and efficient way.
Turn wastewater em Appeal. This was the priority of Patrícia Gomes, researcher at the University of Minho School of Sciences (ECUM), in the “Wetlands and Circular Economy – a sustainable solution to water resources”.
The researcher is resorting to Constructed Wet Zones – Artificial systems that mimic natural water clearance processes – to treat and reuse wastewater in an ecological and efficient way.
Patrícia uses specific plants e Natural substrates; These systems eliminate various contaminants with lower water consumption, which is then filtered through soil or sand beds and treated by physical, chemical and biological processes.
The goal is to promote biodiversity and reuse water In agricultural, industrial and urban contexts, with low cost and energy consumption and easy maintenance.
Have already been made testes Laboratory and on the ground: Artificial wetlands have been effective to remove various contaminants such as nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) and microorganisms that cause disease.
“Depending on the type of effluent and treatment, residual water can be reused For agricultural and landscape irrigation, gardens or sports fields, non -potable industrial uses (washes, refrigeration) and, in some cases, recharge of aquifers or creation of environmental conservation zones, ”describes Patrícia Gomes.
The innovative system reduces the extraction of natural water resources and reuses the nitrogen e match For example, to be used as fertilizer.
The researcher stresses that climate change should force Portugal to “rethink” how to generate water. It is necessary to “bet on efficiency, the reuse of treated wastewater and the decentralization of sanitation systems, through solutions such as built moist zones”.
As solutions, Patrícia Gomes suggests: implement integrated and adaptive management techniques of water resources, coupled with the education of the population about the value of water, investment in innovation and the adoption of solutions based on nature.
