Human activity is recognized as a leading cause of aquatic biodiversity loss and contamination of freshwater resources. Professor Mathieu Lapointe from École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) Department of Construction Engineering suggests that sustainable and cost-efficient in situ methods may enable treatment of currently untreated types of wastewater on a global scale.
In his recent publication in Nature Water, Professor Lapointe highlights significant variation in wastewater discharge rates of certain types of untreated water between countries, particularly urban and rural runoff, and industrial wastewater. In a country, wastewater treatment may range from 4% to 95%, where lower-income countries tend to have higher rates of untreated wastewater discharge than higher-income countries.
Often considered as insufficiently contaminated to warrant conventional treatment, agricultural and urban runoff can negatively affect freshwater ecosystems if left untreated. Traditional wastewater treatment facilities are expensive and energy-intensive, and fail to address rising urban waterproofing and uncertain rainfall patterns caused by climate change. Professor Lapointe recommends the development of modular, cost-efficient, and decentralized treatment systems to retain certain contaminants. These include bioretention cells, aggregate-decant systems, and seepage areas that use functionalized soils. He encourages the use of passive ecosystem services such as microorganisms, oxidation, inactivation, and photodegradation alongside engineered processes to treat untreated wastewater that is not economically viable to treat with conventional approaches.
Professor Lapointe believes that promoting integrated passive treatment approaches to treatment may be a practical solution to the wastewater pollution issues in many countries. While in-depth research is required to evaluate this approach’s viability fully, Professor Lapointe is optimistic about the potential of this alternative.
More information:
Mathieu Lapointe et al, Passive ecosystem services, juxtaposed with engineered processes, can democratize wastewater treatment, Nature Water (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s44221-023-00065-w
Provided by University of Quebec at Montreal
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Passive ecosystem services, juxtaposed with engineered processes, can democratize wastewater treatment (2023, June 13)
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