EVALUATION OF CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS AS A NATURE-BASED SOLUTION FOR URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Constructed Wetlands (CWs) are bioengineered systems designed to remove pollutants from contaminated water by mimicking natural wetlands' biological processes within a controlled environment. Compared to conventional treatment systems, CWs offer an environmentally friendly approach, are low-cost, have fewer operational and maintenance requirements, and possess a high potential for application in desert countries with limited fresh water supply. However, their application in these regions is not fully understood. By conducting experiments in the Oil and Gas plants’ irrigation water scheme, this research aims to analyze the feasibility of using CWs to purify produced water from desert countries’ oil and gas industry. Fifty-eight samples were collected over a period of 15 months, and laboratory tests were performed for major contaminants in produced water: physiochemical parameters, organic pollutants, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. Overall, the results were inconclusive in determining the performance of CWs on physiochemical parameters like pH due to dangerous acidity buildup that disrupted the plant ecosystem. However, plant uptake and absorption effectively eliminated total dissolved solids (TDS). The system was also unsuccessful in removing organic pollutants, as indicated by inconsistent levels of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), which remained above the baseline recommended value throughout the research. Additionally, CWs were unsuccessful in removing heavy metals, as evidenced by the consistent presence of iron in the system. Finally, passing the produced water through the constructed wetlands reduced benzene levels in most cases, demonstrating partial removal of hydrocarbons from produced water.  

Date of Award	2025
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering