Nature-based solutions for nutrient removal in tourism wastewater: pilot bio-gardens with red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) at Iberostar Bávaro, Dominican Republic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/d13esm54Keywords:
Nature-based solutions; Rhizophora mangle; Eichhornia crassipes; nutrient removal; wastewater treatment; tourism; Caribbean.Abstract
Introduction: Wastewater from coastal tourism operations often retains residual nitrogen and phosphorus after conventional secondary treatment, contributing to nutrient enrichment in adjacent marine ecosystems. Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) have been proposed as low-cost polishing strategies that integrate ecological processes into wastewater management.
Objective: To evaluate the short-term nutrient attenuation potential of Rhizophora mangle and Eichhornia crassipes in constructed bio-gardens installed downstream of hotel wastewater treatment systems under operational conditions.
Methods: Four concrete bio-gardens (3.0 × 1.2 × 0.6 m) were installed downstream of an on-site wastewater-treatment facility in the Dominican Republic. Three units were planted (replicated treatments units) and one was left unplanted (control). Phase 1 evaluated R. mangle under continuous flow using treated effluent. Phase 2 evaluated E. crassipes under similar hydraulic conditions using enriched influent to simulate elevated nutrient loads. Water samples were analyzed for phosphate, total phosphorus, nitrate–nitrogen, and total nitrogen over a 48-hour hydraulic retention period.
Results: During Phase 1, R. mangle exhibited limited short-term nutrient attenuation consistent with early-stage system stabilization. In Phase 2, E. crassipes demonstrated substantial short-term phosphorus removal and moderate nitrogen attenuation under enriched conditions, whereas the unplanted control showed minimal change.
Conclusions: Plant-based bio-gardens can be physically integrated into hotel wastewater systems and may contribute to nutrient-load reduction when appropriately designed and managed. The contrasting short-term dynamics observed between species highlight functional complementarity under different loading scenarios rather than direct species superiority. These findings support further investigation of NbS as tertiary polishing modules within sustainable tourism infrastructure.
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