Contribution of Constructed Wetlands for Reclaimed Water Production: A Review

Abstract

Abstract Freshwater scarcity is a growing threat to sustainable development, which can be mitigated by adequate management of water resources. Agriculture and related activities consist in the main use of freshwater, but several other human activities present relevant contributions. Because most of the water uses imply the generation of resultant wastewater, the production and use of reclaimed water by appropriate technologies can be part of the solution to that issue. Considering that the use of constructed wetlands (CWs) can be a relevant contribution to the production of reclaimed water, as an eco-friendly alternative to costly advanced water treatment technologies, this work is a review of the last decade of literature on the use of CWs to produce reclaimed water. The results point to a usual focus on the production of reclaimed water for agriculture or urban spaces irrigation. In order to potentiate a broader application of CWs, some directions of future research and use of this green technology are proposed.