Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are an effective wastewater treatment technology that uses floating mats planted with vegetation. In FTWs, plant roots extend into contaminated water below and act as biological filters to remove pollutants. FTWs have been used successfully in Pakistan and around the world to treat various types of wastewater, including agricultural runoff, stormwater, industrial effluents, and more. Common plant species used in FTWs include Typha, Brachiaria, and Phragmites, which help remove nutrients and trace metals from wastewater. FTWs provide benefits like habitat creation and water quality improvement while providing a sustainable wastewater treatment option.

1. FLOATING
ISLANDS
WA S T E WAT E R T R E AT M E N T

2. A
C O M P R E H E N S I V E
O V E R V I E W O N
F T W S
P R E S E N T E D BY ; S A M R A H A F E E Z

3. MODULES INTRODUCTION
WHAT ARE
FOATING
ISLANDS
INSTALLATION OF
FTWs
PLANT BACTERIA
SYNERGISM
FTWS IN
PAKISTAN
PLANTS USED IN
FTWs
APPLICATIONS

4. Floating islands
Floating treatment wetland (FTW) is an effective
and sustainable technology for wastewater
treatment. It has been widely adopted for treating
various kinds of polluted water including agricultural
runoff, stormwater, industrial effluents, etc. In FTWs,
plants are vegetated on a floating mat while their
roots are extended down to the contaminated
water hence acting as biological filters.

5. INSTALLATION OF FTWS

6. PLANT BACTERIAL SYNERGISM

7. FTWS IN PAKISTAN
Pakistan currently has 19 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance
(Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 1,343,807 hectares.
 Lakes of the Alpine region
 Lakes of the Salt Range
 Coastal wetlands
 Riverine wetlands
 WWF-Pakistan has replicated the concept of floating wetlands in Chokera. There are
stabilization ponds, covering an area of approximately 400 acres, with the capacity of 20
million gallons per day, to manage the city’s wastewater and the floating wetlands have
been built in these ponds.

8. PLANTS IN FTW
CONSTRUCTION
Plants Waste Water Type
Typha domingensis Industrial and sewage
Brachiaria mutica Sewage
Vetive Palm oil mill
Canna sp River
Lemna minor Reclaimed water
Oenanthe javanica River and domestic
Phragmites australis Domestic
Algal macrophytes Secondary treated
Eichhornia crassipes Fish farming
Pistia stratiotes Biological effluent
Typha orientalis Lake
Typha domingensis Municipal

9. CONTINOUS…
PLANTS WASTE WATER TYPE
Ducksmeat herb Eutrophic water
Typha angustifolia Industrial
Hordeum vulgare Agricultural
Phragmites australis, Crude oil contaminated
Typha domingensis, Crude oil contaminated
Leptochloa fusca Crude oil contaminated
Brachiaria mutica Crude oil contaminated
Ryegrass Diesel contaminated soil
Brachiaria mutica Sewage Effluent

10. APPLICATIONS
Removal of
Nutrients by FTWs
Removal of Trace
Metals by FTWs
Oil-Contaminated
Wastewater
Treatment by
FTWs
Remediation of
Dye-rich Textile
Effluent
Applications of
FTWs in Pits

11. APPLICATIONS
Habitat
Management
Water Quality
Recreational
Use
Storm Water
Coastal
Protection

12. REFERENCES
• Afzal, M., Khan, S., Iqbal, S., Mirza, M. S., & Khan, Q. M. (2013). Inoculation method
affects colonization and activity of Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN during
phytoremediation of diesel-contaminated soil. International Biodeterioration &
Biodegradation, 85, 331–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibiod.2013.08.022
• Afzal, M., Rehman, K., Shabir, G., Tahseen, R., Ijaz, A., Hashmat, A. J., & Brix, H. (2019a).
Large-scale remediation of oil-contaminated water using floating treatment wetlands.
Npj Clean Water, 2(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-018-0025-7
• Afzal, M., Rehman, K., Shabir, G., Tahseen, R., Ijaz, A., Hashmat, A. J., & Brix, H. (2019b).
Large-scale remediation of oil-contaminated water using floating treatment wetlands.
Npj Clean Water, 2(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-018-0025-7
• Rehman, K., Ijaz, A., Arslan, M., & Afzal, M. (2019). Floating treatment wetlands as
biological buoyant filters for wastewater reclamation. International Journal of
Phytoremediation, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15226514.2019.1633253
• Rehman, K., Ijaz, A., Arslan, M., & Afzal, M. (2019). Floating treatment; A sustainable tool
for waste water treatment. DOI: 10.1002/clen.201800120