Vegetated filter strips for wastewater purification: A review

Searching for cheap systems able to contribute to the removal of pollutants from wastewaters, we considered the possibility of using vegetative filter strips and bare soil. The effectiveness of vegetative filter strips for water purification is reviewed in this report. Different studies have shown the efficacy of vegetated buffer strips in removing contaminants from various kinds of wastewater (particularly wastewater derived from farming activities or non-point-sources of pollution), while soil column experiments have shown that pollutant concentrations can be attenuated in part by the soil itself. In view of these findings, we propose investigation of a system based on the depollution power of the combined soil plus vegetation system.