Urban surface water quality and the potential of phytoremediation to improve water quality in peri-urban and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa – a review
In 2017, 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) were still using unimproved drinking water sources, 80 million of whom relied on untreated surface water. Urban areas are vastly expanding all over the continent and many larger cities in SSA struggle to provide safely managed drinking water. P...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IWA Publishing
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Water Supply |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ws.iwaponline.com/content/22/11/8372 |
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| author | Bastian Schnabel Sam Wright Rees Miller Lee D. Bryant Thomas R. Kjeldsen Roy Maconachie Solomon P. Gbanie Kabba S. Bangura Anthony J. Kamara |
| author_facet | Bastian Schnabel Sam Wright Rees Miller Lee D. Bryant Thomas R. Kjeldsen Roy Maconachie Solomon P. Gbanie Kabba S. Bangura Anthony J. Kamara |
| author_sort | Bastian Schnabel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In 2017, 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) were still using unimproved drinking water sources, 80 million of whom relied on untreated surface water. Urban areas are vastly expanding all over the continent and many larger cities in SSA struggle to provide safely managed drinking water. Phytoremediation implemented in constructed wetlands (CWs) is a low-cost and sustainable alternative to highly costly and energy-consuming wastewater treatment plants. In addition, CWs offer the potential to be integrated into farming and aqua-culture systems and can therefore improve food quality and production. The most prominent pollutants in urban SSA surface waters and the pollutant removal efficiencies for microbial and chemical contaminations of different plant species were identified from the literature and the accumulation rates for Pb, Cr, and Cd were compared with each other. A strong focus was given to studies conducted in SSA or other (sub)tropical regions. This review identified a range of potential phytoremediators to treat contaminated surface water and highlights the need for further in situ studies in SSA. Plant species such as Lemna minor, Ipomoea aquatica, Spirodela polyrhiza and Brachiaria mutica show a high potential to phytoremediate the heavy metals Pb, Cr and Cd from surface water.
HIGHLIGHTS
Review and analysis of water quality and wetland studies undertaken mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.;
Review and analysis of phytoremediators able to improve urban surface water quality impacted by microbial and heavy metal contamination in tropical settings.; |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:31:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3a4ca67c37b9470c9af80fb77f929249 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1606-9749 1607-0798 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:31:31Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | IWA Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Supply |
| spelling | doaj.art-3a4ca67c37b9470c9af80fb77f9292492022-12-22T04:40:00ZengIWA PublishingWater Supply1606-97491607-07982022-11-0122118372840410.2166/ws.2022.352352Urban surface water quality and the potential of phytoremediation to improve water quality in peri-urban and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa – a reviewBastian Schnabel0Sam Wright1Rees Miller2Lee D. Bryant3Thomas R. Kjeldsen4Roy Maconachie5Solomon P. Gbanie6Kabba S. Bangura7Anthony J. Kamara8 Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK Department of Social & Policy Sciences, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK Geography Department, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Mount Aureol, Freetown, Sierra Leone Geography Department, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Mount Aureol, Freetown, Sierra Leone Physics Department, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Mount Aureol, Freetown, Sierra Leone In 2017, 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) were still using unimproved drinking water sources, 80 million of whom relied on untreated surface water. Urban areas are vastly expanding all over the continent and many larger cities in SSA struggle to provide safely managed drinking water. Phytoremediation implemented in constructed wetlands (CWs) is a low-cost and sustainable alternative to highly costly and energy-consuming wastewater treatment plants. In addition, CWs offer the potential to be integrated into farming and aqua-culture systems and can therefore improve food quality and production. The most prominent pollutants in urban SSA surface waters and the pollutant removal efficiencies for microbial and chemical contaminations of different plant species were identified from the literature and the accumulation rates for Pb, Cr, and Cd were compared with each other. A strong focus was given to studies conducted in SSA or other (sub)tropical regions. This review identified a range of potential phytoremediators to treat contaminated surface water and highlights the need for further in situ studies in SSA. Plant species such as Lemna minor, Ipomoea aquatica, Spirodela polyrhiza and Brachiaria mutica show a high potential to phytoremediate the heavy metals Pb, Cr and Cd from surface water. HIGHLIGHTS Review and analysis of water quality and wetland studies undertaken mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.; Review and analysis of phytoremediators able to improve urban surface water quality impacted by microbial and heavy metal contamination in tropical settings.;http://ws.iwaponline.com/content/22/11/8372constructed wetlandsheavy metalsphytoremediationsub-saharan africawater quality |
| spellingShingle | Bastian Schnabel Sam Wright Rees Miller Lee D. Bryant Thomas R. Kjeldsen Roy Maconachie Solomon P. Gbanie Kabba S. Bangura Anthony J. Kamara Urban surface water quality and the potential of phytoremediation to improve water quality in peri-urban and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa – a review Water Supply constructed wetlands heavy metals phytoremediation sub-saharan africa water quality |
| title | Urban surface water quality and the potential of phytoremediation to improve water quality in peri-urban and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa – a review |
| title_full | Urban surface water quality and the potential of phytoremediation to improve water quality in peri-urban and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa – a review |
| title_fullStr | Urban surface water quality and the potential of phytoremediation to improve water quality in peri-urban and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa – a review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Urban surface water quality and the potential of phytoremediation to improve water quality in peri-urban and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa – a review |
| title_short | Urban surface water quality and the potential of phytoremediation to improve water quality in peri-urban and urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa – a review |
| title_sort | urban surface water quality and the potential of phytoremediation to improve water quality in peri urban and urban areas in sub saharan africa a review |
| topic | constructed wetlands heavy metals phytoremediation sub-saharan africa water quality |
| url | http://ws.iwaponline.com/content/22/11/8372 |
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