Fifteen-year analysis of constructed wetland clogging: A critical review

Clogging has attracted increasing attention as one of the key problems affecting the development and application of constructed wetland (CW) technology. However, there is a lack of systematic research on the evolution history, hot spots, frontiers and direction classification of CW clogging, lack of research papers on how to effectively solve clogging, and some mixed use in methods and concepts. To bridge these research gaps, this systematic and indepth review was conducted using published references and analyses and the visualization software CiteSpace based on 15 years of literature research. Keyword cluster and reference co-cited analyses were conducted. Hotspot directions and cutting-edge development trends of CW clogging fields were obtained. Some methods discussed in this review could not only be used to monitor but also evaluate CW clogging. The boundaries and usage of monitoring and evaluation have not been studied before, which can lead to potential inconsistencies in classification standards in the future. Therefore, the differences and definitions are based on comprehensive and in-depth analyses and considerations. The existing literature is classified based on three aspects: mechanism, monitoring and evaluation, and solutions. Specific analyses and assessments were also conducted on the progress and cutting-edge development trends in these three directions.