World Water Day was celebrated around the world on 22 March. On the occasion of this event, the Chair of Integral Management and Recovery of Waste Water Resources (DAM Chair) of the Universitat de València organised conferences on the circular economy and artificial wetlands.
"We are in a period of transition from a linear economy to a circular economy, so we must be aware of the many investigations and works that are being developed in the wastewater sector, to advance -together- towards a more sustainable and habitable society.
Laura Pastor (Head of Innovation at DAM), Alberto Bouzas (Director of the DAM-UV Chair) and Paula Marzal (Director of the School of Engineering ETSE-UV) expressed their views during the opening ceremony of the conferences organised by the DAM Chair.
During their intervention, the institutional representatives demanded the circular economy as a fundamental strategy in the fight against climate change, "because it saves water and energy, reduces waste, conserves raw materials, generates wealth and employment and boosts innovation".
The event, held at the ETSE-UV facilities, was attended by experts Joaquín Melgarejo Moreno (University Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences of the University of Alicante) and Miguel Martín Monerris (Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de València). Specifically, Dr. Melgarejo Moreno addressed in his speech "Water: the basis of the circular economy" the environmental crisis suffered by the planet, highlighting the unsustainability of the current model of consumption.
"Our current consumption habits produce-use-throw, need to be rethought. According to a United Nations report, 1.7 planets are needed by 2017 to cover the consumption of natural resources. With population figures estimated for 2050, it would take almost three planets to provide the natural resources needed to maintain current lifestyles. In fact, in 2013 only 1/5 of the energy used in the world came from renewable sources such as water, wind and sunlight," said the IUACA researcher.
In this regard, he recalled that the European Union has promoted an important package of measures aimed at promoting the circular economy, where proposals related to waste management and water are of great importance. "The EU is committed to reuse as one of the main lines of action, as reclaimed water has important advantages: it is a stable and safe source of drinking water as it is conditioned by the urban supply of drinking water, it is cheaper than that obtained through other systems (transfers or desalination) and with current treatments its quality is sufficient for most uses", stressed the professor at the University of Alicante.
In addition, he indicated that the reuse of water helps to reduce "overexploitation of aquifers, problems arising from marine intrusion, and on other occasions, after appropriate treatment, these can be used to provide environmental flows.
In relation to these factors, he pointed out that both the Valencian Community and the Region of Murcia "lead the reuse of water at national and European level, so they must have an important role in future regulations that legislate the sector. Finally, he concluded his presentation by recalling the 8 R's of the Circular Economy: "rethink, redesign, reuse, repair, remanufacture, recycle, recover and reduce.
For his part, Miguel Martín Monerris, IIAMA researcher (Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering), highlighted the role of artificial wetlands as instruments for environmental improvement in the natural and urban environment. In his paper "Artificial wetlands in the recovery of aquatic ecosystems. The LIFE Albufera project", the UPV professor made a historical contextualization of the purification and the natural solutions applied to it, reviewing a series of concepts and technical aspects on these systems, where he emphasized their difference with the green filters.
"Artificial wetlands are not green filters: they are very simple water treatment systems, which by having aquatic plants (reeds, bulrush, rushes...) and good quality water after their treatment, allow the development of environmental conditions conducive to improving biodiversity," said the UPV professor.
In this sense, he highlighted the suitability of this type of infrastructure for purification in dispersed rural nuclei or small towns, enumerating a series of advantages: "they are simple to build, have low operation and maintenance costs as there are no energy costs associated with aeration, as well as a good assimilation of the variation in flow. In addition, they eliminate solids and pollutants and have an excellent landscape, environmental and social integration into the natural environment, allowing the creation of new habitats or the recovery of them," said Dr. Martin Monerris.
However, he also warned that there are a number of drawbacks such as "little operational flexibility or having to have a relatively large area of land. Finally, the IIAMA researcher pointed out that some of these results were observed in the work carried out in the LIFE Albufera project, recognised by the European Commission as one of the best investigations of the "LIFE Programme" due to the interest and impact of the results obtained, their wide dissemination and their excellent management.
"The LIFE Albufera project is an example of good practice for the excellent results achieved, as well as for the multidisciplinary nature of the partners involved. The implementation of different water and vegetation management actions in three artificial wetlands made it possible to improve water quality, restore characteristic wetland habitats, making it possible for some bird species to reoccupy these areas and nest in them", concluded Miguel Martín.