|
|
Water
– an essential resource
Constructed wetlands remove
germs from waste water
Water is the source of
all life.
We need it to drink, to prepare food, for washing and cleaning, but
also for industrial and food production. Water is, in short,
irreplaceable. Yet clean water is becoming an increasingly rare
resource in many parts of the world.
The largest
consumer of
water is agriculture. Around 70 % of the water used by humans
– in some
developing countries as high as 90 % - is used for irrigation, with
fatal consequences in some cases. Faced with a lack of alternatives,
farmers often use waste water for irrigation, which leads to health
risks, in particular diarrhoea.
In the course of
laboratory
research and tests under practical conditions carried out over several
years in collaboration with partners from science and industry, UFZ
scientists have succeeded in demonstrating that waste water can be made
hygienic for irrigation purposes using simple technology.
This
means that it is possible to reap the benefits of waste water recycling
whilst meeting hygiene requirements.
After a general
introduction, the following sequences provide (with text, but no sound)
about various aspects of constructed wetlands: What effect do wetland
hydraulics have on removal efficiencies? What is the difference between
horizontal and vertical flow filters? What type of plant is suitable
for treating waste water and what fundamental soil processes do
constructed wetlands use to purify waste water?
Production:
CAST
creativ-fernseh GmbH & Co. KG, Dresden
Produced: 2005
Conceptual
design and editorial
work:
Dr. Oliver Bederski | Umwelt- und
Biotechnologisches Zentrum, UFZ
Dr. Peter Kuschk | Department
Bioremediation, UFZ
Doris Böhme und Andreas Staak | Public
Relations, UFZ
Flashvideo "pathogen removal"
Source:
Helmholtz – Centre for environmental research (UFZ) |
Introduction |
Collection of
municipal sewage |
Filter design |
Special
benefits of marsh plants (helophytes) |
Constructed
wetlands |
Other
applications of constructed wetlands |
|
|
World Map
|
civil
engineering
