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Greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen removal from wastewater - constructed wetland solutions

  • Ze Guo
  • , Jialin Wang
  • , Yifei Wu
  • , Yihe Wang
  • , Ziyang Dong
  • , Yu Tian
  • , Stevo Lavrnić*
  • , Jun Zhang*
  • *Corresponding author for this work
  • School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology
  • University of Bologna

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, total carbon emissions have been controlled. However, greenhouse gas emissions from the wastewater treatment industry have increased almost every year since 2009. Although constructed wetlands have been proposed as a green water treatment technology to address climate challenges, our understanding of their role is still limited. Therefore, we review the research status of greenhouse gases in constructed wetlands and synthesize the current best estimates of their impact on the global greenhouse gas cycle from five perspectives, particularly in the field of wastewater nitrogen cycle. These perspectives include energy self-sufficiency and complete neutralization, their role as a complete ecosystem, the unique advantages compared to other treatment methods, countermeasures in special environments, and future development strategies. We believe that new insights and innovations will promote the practical application of constructed wetlands and potentially achieve complete greenhouse gas neutralization in the wastewater treatment industry.

Original languageEnglish
Article number127236
JournalJournal of Environmental Management
Volume394
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2025
Externally publishedYes

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
    SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
  2. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

  • Climate change
  • Constructed wetlands
  • Greenhouse gas
  • Nitrogen cycle
  • Wastewater

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