Passive treatment technologies, i.e., those that rely on natural biogeochemical and microbiological processes to ameliorate polluted water problems, may provide a viable treatment alternative to costly and laborious active technologies for treating contaminated water. Passive systems require less operational and maintenance labor and have lower initial costs but require larger land areas than traditional active chemical treatment systems. Thus, they have great potential in developing regions with a relative abundance of land and labor, but minimal financial capital.
Passive Treatment
Given this, the WaTER Center is currently implementing passive treatment technology in the mining contaminated waters of the Rio Juckucha watershed near Potosi, Bolivia.
Read more about passive treatment and WaTER Center efforts in Bolivia (PDF).
