CircSyst Wetland Day in Koksijde Highlighted Circular Water Solutions
Link Copied!Article written by Catarina Baptista, R&D Engineer Water, VITO
On 24 June 2025, the CircSyst Demo 3 partners – VITO, Aquaduin & Aquafin – hosted a regional stakeholder workshop and field visit in Koksijde, Belgium, gathering over 40 participants from government, academia, and industry. The event, titled “CircSyst Wetland Day,” focused on the role of constructed wetlands (CWs) in advancing circular water solutions in Flanders and beyond.
A day of insight and exchange
The event opened with a keynote by Prof. Diederik Rousseau (UGent), who provided a historical and technical overview of constructed wetlands, from their early development to their current applications in decentralized wastewater treatment.
Catarina Baptista (VITO) followed with a presentation on the CircSyst project and the Flanders demonstrator. The demo focuses on optimizing treatment and water recovery from Reverse Osmosis Concentrate (ROC) using constructed wetlands. Key findings from baseline assessments and pilot tests were shared.
Several insights from other demonstration projects in Flanders were also shared to promote knowledge interaction and regional collaboration.
Breakout discussions: barriers, enablers, and opportunities
Participants engaged in breakout sessions covering:
- Barriers and enablers for CW implementation in agriculture, industry, and households.
- Water reuse and circular economy: exploring the potential of CWs for irrigation, greywater reuse, and brine treatment.
- Emerging pollutants: addressing challenges in removing PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics.
Key barriers identified included regulatory constraints, limited trust and knowledge, and spatial planning issues. However, participants also highlighted strong enablers such as farmers’ interest, alternative financing models, and the co-benefits of CWs (e.g., biodiversity, recreation, and landscape integration).
Looking ahead
The event concluded with a field visit to the Aquaduin site, where participants observed the full-scale wetland system and the CircSyst demo pilots in operation. The day underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration, policy adaptation, and continued research to scale nature-based solutions like CWs.
As the CircSyst project progresses, the Flanders Demo 3 pilots will continue testing innovative substrates, monitoring emerging pollutants, and informing regional policy towards the implementation of CWs for circular water solutions. The insights from this workshop will feed into broader replication and scaling strategies across Europe.