Domestic wastewater treatment at the single-family level using a septic tank and constructed wetland system: a scientometric and systematic analysis

Abstract

The study of wastewater treatment at the single-family level is of great interest to researchers around the world. This study focused on making a scientometric analysis and a systematic review of the treatment of domestic wastewater at the single-family level through a septic tank (ST) and constructed wetland (CW) system. For which the publications from 2002 to 2022 registered in the Scopus database were recovered. For the systematic review, the PRISMA approach was used to verify the efficiency of the wastewater treatment system integrated by an ST and CW. After the respective exclusion, a total of 166 articles were obtained. The findings of this study revealed that the leading countries in this field of research are the USA, Brazil, China, Norway, and Poland. The most recurrent words were artificial wetlands, septic tanks, and domestic wastewater. The systematic review showed that the integration of an ST with a CW is an alternative for wastewater treatment at the single-family level. This integrated system allows the achievement of high BOD5 and COD removal efficiencies. Meanwhile, the removal of phosphorous and nitrogen has been moderate. However, research is needed on the costs and reuse of the effluent from this treatment system; as well as, to evaluate the efficiency of the application of deflectors in the STs and the use of ornamental plants in the CWs. This study helps researchers in this field to identify sanitation trends that have emerged in the last 20 years, serving as a reference for future research.