MELBOURNE, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have found that floating wetlands can cut greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater lagoons by more than a quarter, offering a potential nature-based solution for decarbonizing the water sector.
A two-year trial measured the impact of floating platforms of native plants on greenhouse gas emissions from a wastewater lagoon in Phillip Island, southeastern Australia, according to a statement released Tuesday by RMIT University.
The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Management, found that carbon dioxide emissions fell by up to 36 percent, methane by up to 66 percent and nitrous oxide emissions by 18 percent compared with a control lagoon without a floating wetland.
The trial used a 330-square-meter floating platform, about the size of one-and-a-half tennis courts, planted with native reeds and sedges whose roots dangled in the water to support microbial communities that consume nutrients and pollutants and potentially also greenhouse gases.
Study first author RMIT researcher Lukas Schuster said the results provided the first evidence at full operational scale that "supporting microbial communities in the root systems of wetland plants can reduce wastewater emissions without relying on high-tech solutions."
"It's a strong demonstration of how nature-based approaches can transform wastewater treatment into part of the climate solution," Schuster said. ■