ABSTRACT
In the industrial scenario, a major challenge is to match economical, sustainable wastewater treatment systems that cope with the legal restrictions granting low environmental impacts. The tannery industry is an important sector in the European Union market. This industry covers the treatment of raw materials through the conversion of raw hide or skin, a putrescible material, into leather, a stable material, and —nishes, so it can be used in the manufacture of a wide range of consumer products. This industrial sector has been innovative in technology and in higher-quality standards; however, the waste emanating from the production process poses a major concern. In particular, the liquid waste is considered an environmental problem because of its complexity and high organic and inorganic loads. Frequent problems experienced with wastewater treatment systems are that they often work over or under the capacity because of poor design of alterations in production. Ef—cient wastewater management may be crucial to the optimization of resources and sustainability of the process. The use of a phytotechnology approach, such as constructed wetlands, can be potentially employed to complement the performance of existing systems or as an alternative to a conventional biological treatment.
