Demo 4 – Mixed domestic and agro-industrial wastewater treatment for rural island areas.

Background

Due to the lack of decentralised wastewater management, rural Mediterranean communities often face challenges in treating mixtures of domestic and agro-industrial effluents in sewer networks. Fluctuating organic and hydraulic loads hinder the effective treatment of wastewater in conventional centralised systems. Furthermore, some rural regions experience a shortage of high-quality irrigation water and often rely on brackish sources.

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Partner

Demo site responsible

Role in the Project

Technical and nature
based solutions

Stakeholder
engagement

Monitoring systems

Description

The innovation of the University of the Aegean (UA) lies in the use of intensified constructed wetlands with aeration and specialised (electroconductive) filling materials, ensuring stable performance under diverse hydraulic and organic loads and consistently produce high-quality irrigation water. Two 1 m² intensified constructed wetlands (CWs) will be developed and demonstrated for treating and reusing dairy and olive mill effluents combined with municipal wastewater.

Goal

The systems will be operated under increased hydraulic and organic loading rates. They will be coupled with a low-cost primary treatment step through septic tanks for suspended solids retention and a downstream disinfection unit to ensure pathogen removal. The systems will be evaluated for producing Class B recovered water in compliance with EU Regulation 2020/741 for water reuse, as well as for the removal of specific organic micropollutants.

Type of solution:

2 vertical. subsurface flow CW

3-chamber septic tank
Intensified CWs with disinfection unit

Production of Class B reclaimed water

Type of Monitoring:

Water quality control including physico-chemical parameters, conventional pollutants, micropollutants, hygienic and pandemic parameters, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, and E.coli levels