Assessment of the Treatment Performance of an Open-Air Green Wall Fed with Graywater under Winter Conditions

Graywater (GW), i.e., the portion of household wastewater that excludes toilet flushes, is an interesting wastewater type because it requires only mild treatment. Green walls have been proposed as example of a nature-based solution for GW treatment due to low energy requirement and high ecological/societal benefits; however, indications about their treatment performances remain limited. This work presents experimental results of a laboratory modular green wall for GW treatment. Experiments have been performed outdoors during the winter season for three months. Each panel included four vertical columns of planted pots, and it was fed with 100 L of synthetic GW per day. Removal efficiencies were as follows (average values): 40% chemical oxygen demand, 97% biochemical oxygen demand, 61% total Kjeldhal nitrogen, 56% NO3–-N, 57% total phosphorus, 99% Escherichia coli, and 63% anionic surfactants. This work proved the potential of an open-air green wall for treating GW, even under challenging conditions for biological treatment processes and with high hydraulic loading rates.