Artificial wetlands to protect water quality

On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA) at the Universitat Politècnica de València highlights the importance of these ecosystems as key tools for improving water quality, protecting soil and mitigating diffuse pollution, as well as the role of scientific research in developing sustainable, nature-based solutions.

In this context, they have recently developed a scientific study, within the framework of the TED2021 Rainwetpipa project funded by PRTR funds, which analyses the hydraulic behaviour and purifying capacity of the 'Tancat de la Pipa' free-surface artificial wetland in the Albufera de València Natural Park when it receives urban and agricultural runoff.

'The results of the study confirm that artificial wetlands function as buffer systems, capable of mitigating pollution peaks and significantly improving water quality, even when they receive variable pollutant loads and have not been specifically designed for that purpose,' says Adrián Martínez, a researcher at IIAMA who participated in the study.

The research was carried out by Adrián Martínez-Biosca, Carmen Hernández-Crespo, Enrique Asensi, Ignacio Andrés-Doménech, Vicent Benedito-Durá and Miguel Martín, researchers at IIAMA-UPV, together with Mª Eugènia Rodrigo-Santamalia, a researcher at the Research Institute for Mediterranean Agroforestry of the UPV.

Conclusions of the study

Among the main conclusions, they highlight the high retention capacity of suspended solids, reaching values close to 80% of the incoming material, due to natural sedimentation.

Likewise, the wetland showed a significant reduction in ammoniacal nitrogen, driven by dilution, retention, and biogeochemical transformations, such as nitrification, which are essential for protecting aquatic ecosystems from eutrophication.

The study also emphasises the importance of hydraulic design in artificial wetlands, demonstrating that configurations with multiple cells in parallel improve water residence time and treatment efficiency.

'These results provide relevant technical criteria for the design and optimisation of new green infrastructure aimed at treating contaminated water,' says Carmen Hernández, an IIAMA researcher participating in the study.

Potential for the application of constructed wetlands

This scientific knowledge is directly applied in initiatives such as the VALPURIN project (Development of nature-based solutions for the sustainable treatment of slurry and subsequent recovery of its fractions), funded by the Valencian Innovation Agency (2023), in which IIAMA-UPV, Global Omnium and Servyeco are participating.

The aim of the project is to minimise the environmental impact of agricultural waste on soil and water resources by developing and validating innovative treatment processes.

'VALPURIN is committed to the use of artificial wetlands as Nature-Based Solutions, allowing slurry to be transformed into new usable resources and moving towards circular economy models, contributing to the sustainable development of the agricultural and livestock sector and the mitigation of the effects of climate change,' says Miguel Martín, who conducts research at IIAMA.

Overall, IIAMA reaffirms its commitment to applied research, knowledge transfer and the development of sustainable solutions that contribute to the protection of aquatic ecosystems and more efficient water resource management.

REFERENCE: Hydrodynamic and water quality modelling of a free water surface constructed wetland for urban runoff mitigation. Ecological Modelling. Adrián Martínez-Biosca, Carmen Hernández-Crespo, Enrique Asensi, Ignacio Andrés-Doménech, Mª Eugènia Rodrigo-Santamalia, Vicent Benedito-Durá, Miguel Martín Monerris.