Constructed wetlands for the treatment of cyanotoxins: enabling water reclamation for irrigation

More and longer events of cyanobacterial blooms are resulting in the irrigation of crops with contaminated water. Thus, the consumption of contaminated vegetables increases the risk of poisoning to humans. The usage of constructed wetlands to mitigate cyanotoxins contamination from surface waters is deemed interesting due to their proven capacity to reduce pollutants, their low- technological requirements and landscape integration. However, it is currently unknown if constructed wetlands can be used to remove the cyanobacteria biomass and degrade the cyanotoxins. In addition, a balance is needed in terms of process optimisation. Ideally, we want to clean the water from the cyanobacteria/cyanotoxins, while the nutrients should remain available for the crops. WETCYANO proposes an in-depth characterization of the potential for removal, including removal mechanisms and cyanotoxins biotransformation, as well as how shock loads of cyanobacteria may impact the microbial community in the constructed wetlands.