Development of a decision-support system to select nature-based solutionsfor domestic wastewater treatment

Acuňa, Vicenç (author), Castañares, Laura (author), Castellar, Joana A. C (author), Comas, Joaquim (author), Cross, Katherine (author), Istenič, Darja (author), Masi, Fabio (author), Pucher, Bernhard (author), Pueyo-Ros, Josep (author), Riu, Adrià (author)

Nature-based solutions are increasingly used in domestic wastewater treatment, because of their potential to remove contami-nants and pathogens from water (e.g., stormwater, river water, wastewater) as well as their provided co-benefits, such asmitigation of the heat island effect or enhanced biodiversity. The transition from traditional grey technologies towardsnature-based solutions in domestic wastewater treatment might yield multiple benefits for local communities while enhancing biodiversity. Although some nature-based solutions such as treatment wetlands have been used for decades in domestic wastewater treatment, this is not the case for others such as green walls or roofs, which lack implementation guidelines and design criteria. Aiming to support implementation of nature-based solutions in domestic wastewater treatment, we have developed an online decision-support system for the pre-selection of the best nature-based solution to use in each socio-environmental context and adapted to the needs, as well as an estimate of the required area. Our decision-support system’s recommendations are based on an expert knowledge-driven approach, building on two complementary expert knowledge elicitation workshops. We hope the developed online decision-support system will support the transition towards integrating nature-based solutions into urban water and wastewater treatment systems.

• Language: English
• Keywords: wastewater treatment, urban sanitation, treatment wetlands, green walls, co-benefits
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences; FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 235-251
• Numbering: Vol. 5, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-154759
• UDC: 628.31:628.179.2
• ISSN on article: 2617-4782
• DOI: 10.2166/bgs.2023.005
• COBISS.SI-ID: 187194883
• Publication date in RUL: 29.02.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Blue-green systems
• Shortened title: Blue-green syst.
• Publisher: IWA Publishing
• ISSN: 2617-4782
• COBISS.SI-ID: 9061217

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: čiščenje odpadne vode, urbane sanitarije, čiščenje mokrišč, zelene stene, dodatne koristi