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Assessing METland® Design and Performance Through LCA: Techno-Environmental Study With Multifunctional Unit
Lorena Peñacoba-Antona1,2, Jorge Senán-Salinas2, Arantxa Aguirre-Sierra3
1METfilter S.L., Seville, Spain.
Frontiers in Microbiology
|June 28, 2021
Summary
METland®, a nature-based wastewater treatment, offers high pollutant removal with low energy use. The aerobic mode is most effective and environmentally friendly, especially for rural areas.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Microbial Electrochemical Technologies
- Nature-Based Solutions
Background:
- Conventional wastewater treatment is energy-intensive and costly, particularly for small communities.
- Microbial Electrochemical Technologies (MET) offer a promising alternative for efficient wastewater management.
- METland® integrates MET concepts into constructed wetlands for enhanced performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate two METland® operational modes (aerobic and aerobic-anoxic).
- Conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from a Net Environmental Balance perspective.
- Analyze technical and environmental performance using Net Eutrophication Balance (NEuB).
Main Methods:
- Full-scale METland® system evaluation.
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) under diverse Functional Units (FU).
- Net Eutrophication Balance (NEuB) analysis.
Main Results:
- The downflow (aerobic) METland® mode demonstrated superior removal rates for organic pollutants and nitrogen.
- Aerobic configuration outperformed the mixed mode by 9-30%.
- METland® achieved high removal rates: 92% BOD, 90% TSS, 40% TN, 30% TP, with 75% lower global warming impact than activated sludge.
Conclusions:
- METland® offers a highly efficient, low-energy wastewater treatment solution suitable for rural areas.
- The aerobic configuration is the most environmentally friendly design.
- METland® shows a significant increase in treatment capacity per surface area compared to conventional constructed wetlands.
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