Performance of a green wall in treating organics, nutrients and pathogens in greywater in a cool climate
Abstract
This study investigated the performance of the vertECO® green wall system with lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) and biochar-pumice media in treating greywater from an urban city district (1000 residents) under Scandinavian climate conditions. Over one year, the system effectively removed organic matter, achieving 90–97 % of biological oxygen demand (BOD) reduction and 56–94 % for total suspended solids (TSS). However, nitrogen and phosphorus removal were inconsistent and low. Significant reductions of up to 5.1 Log₁₀ of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), 4.0 Log 10 of enterococci, 4.5 Log 10 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and 2.7 Log 10 of Clostridium perfringens were observed, while Legionella and Campylobacter were not detected. Cold temperatures (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Wastewater Treatment and Reuse
Water management and technologies
Urban Agriculture and Sustainability
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Water Process Engineering
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Volume
- 82
- Pages
- 109455–109455
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026
- Language
- EN