Carbon Cycling of Sewage waste by Constructed Wetlands

Abstract

The clean development mechanism allows a country with an emission reduction or emission limitation commitment under Kyoto protocol to implement an emission – reduction project in developing countries. The former are hence able to buy emission reductions by achieving them in countries where it is cheaper to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – at the same times, they fund investments into clean technologies in developing countries. The basic idea of CDM is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a more cost efficient way than in a scenario in which entire greenhouse gas emissions reduction is done. Wetlands are constructed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by carbon cycling. The wetlands prove as sinks of greenhouse gases. A variety of techniques are available to monitor and verify carbon fluxes and stores in wetlands. Determination of carbon inputs and outputs in association with water flows can be determined by volume determination of the flows involved (surface and ground water, precipitation) and the concentration of carbon (dissolved and particulate, organic and inorganic) in these flows. Wetlands are major carbon sinks. Vegetation traps atmospheric CO2 in wetlands and other ecosystem alike, the net sink of wetlands is attributed to low decomposition rates in aerobic soils. Enhancing carbon reserves in wetlands in the context of climatic change in consistent with reducing green house gases (GHG) emissions from the wetlands and restoring their carbon emissions from the wetlands and restoring their carbon reserves. Constructing the wetlands is a practical way of retaining the existing carbon reserves and thus avoiding emission of Co2 and GHGs. Constructed treatment wetlands are manmade wetlands built to remove various types of pollutants that may be present in water flows through them. They act as “filters” or “Nature’s Kidneys”. Constructed treatment wetlands utilize many of the mechanism of phytoremediation, though the maturity of Wetland Technology suggests that it is a discipline into itself.