Constructed Wetlands
and Phytoremediation as a Tool
for Pharmaceutical Removal
Pedro N. Carvalho
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
2 Constructed Wetlands for Pharmaceuticals Removal . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 380
2.1 The Basics of the Ecotechnology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
2.2 Historical Developments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
2.3 Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
3 Removal Mechanisms and Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
3.1 Mechanisms and Processes Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
3.2 Photodegradation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
3.3 Sorption and Sedimentation . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 399
3.4 Plant Uptake, Translocation, Phytodegradation and Microbial Degradation Within
the Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
3.5 Microbial Degradation (or Rhizosphere Remediation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
4 Constructed Wetlands a Nature-Based Solution and Important Ecotechnology for a Green
Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Abstract Constructed wetlands are one of the most often applied nature-based
solutions for water management. This ecotechnology is widely accepted due to its
robustness to treat wastewater. The assessment of organic carbon and nutrients
removal for conventional wastewater treatment has been documented for nearly
70 years. In the recent decade, interest has increased in regard to their performance
to treat water contaminated with pharmaceuticals. In 2020 we have passed 200 publications on the latter. Therefore, there is a fair amount of knowledge available to
P. N. Carvalho (*)
Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
WATEC – Centre for Water Technology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
e-mail: pedro.carvalho@envs.au.dk
Sandra Pérez Solsona, Nicola Montemurro, Serge Chiron, and Damià Barceló (eds.),
Interaction and Fate of Pharmaceuticals in Soil-Crop Systems: The Impact of
Reclaimed Wastewater, Hdb Env Chem (2021) 103: 377–414, DOI 10.1007/698_2020_624,
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, Published online: 5 August 2020
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