Technical innovation of land treatment systems for municipal wastewater in northeast China

On the basis of ecological principles including holistic optimization, cycling and regeneration, and regional differentiation, land treatment systems (LTSs) for municipal wastewater were continuously explored and updated in the western Shenyang area and the Huolinhe area, China. Intensified pretreatment, addition of a man-made soil filtration layer, and use of an ecologically diversified secondary plant cover were proved to be technically feasible. Hydraulic loading was determined according to the assimilation capacity of soil ecosystems, thus ensuring safe operation of wastewater treatment. This modernized and alternative approach to wastewater treatment had been widely applied in middle-sized and small cities and towns of Northeast China, and these innovative systems in some areas had indicated favorable ecological, social, and economic benefits.