Constructed Wetlands for Industrial Wastewater Treatment

21Recycling of Carwash Effluents Treated with Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands

A. Torrens¹, M. Folch¹, M. Salgot¹ and M. Aulinas²

¹Soil Science Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

²Life MinAqua PM, Grup Fundació Ramon Noguera, Girona, Spain

21.1 Introduction

In some Mediterranean regions such as Catalonia, urban development is putting existing water resources at risk. In these zones, any attempt to reclaim, recycle and reuse water is considered a “win–win” strategy by both enhancing water supplies and reducing pollution. Such win–win strategies can be implemented in many industrial sites and for activities that involve tap water consumption [1].

A sector contributing to high water consumption is commercial car washing. Currently, vehicle washing facilities are widely spread throughout all urban areas in developed countries. Despite their significant negative environmental impacts that result from the high consumption of resources (water and energy) and generation of waste, there are very few facilities that are committed to using innovative solutions to address this problem. Efforts to improve water use efficiency should be placed in conjunction with maintaining or improving water quality. Therefore, water consumption and pollution should be reduced by better management and technical improvements in the treatment and recycling of wastewater. The car wash industry poses additional environmental threats due to the use of detergents with surfactants ...