scholarly journals Effect of Ornamental Plants, Seasonality, and Filter Media Material in Fill-and-Drain Constructed Wetlands Treating Rural Community Wastewater

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio A. Zamora-Castro ◽  
José Luis Marín-Muñiz ◽  
Luis Sandoval ◽  
Monserrat Vidal-Álvarez ◽  
Juan Manuel Carrión-Delgado

The effects of Canna indica (P1), Pontederia sagittata (P2), and Spathiphyllum wallisii (P3) growing in different filter media materials (12 using porous river rock and 12 using tepezyl) on the seasonal removal of pollutants of wastewater using fill-and-drain constructed wetlands (FD-CWs) were investigated during 12 months. Three units of every media were planted with one plant of P1, P2, and P3, and three were kept unplanted. C. indica was the plant with higher growth than the other species, in both filter media. The species with more flower production were: C. indica > P. sagittate > S. wallisii. Reflecting similarly in the biomass of the plants, C. indica and P. sagittata showed more quantity of aerial and below ground biomass productivity than S. wallisii. With respect to the removal efficiency, both porous media were efficient in terms of pollutant removal performance (p > 0.05). However, removal efficiency showed a dependence on ornamental plants. The higher removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrates (NO3−-N), ammonium (NH4+-N), and phosphates (PO4−3-P) oscillated between 81% to 83%, 80% to 84%, 61% to 69%, 61% to 68%, 65% to 71%, 62% to 68%, and 66% to 69%, respectively, in P1 and P2, removals 15% to 30% higher than P3. The removal in planted microcosms was significantly higher than the unplanted control units (p = 0.023). Nitrogen and phosphorous compounds were highly removed (60%–80%) because in typical CWs, such pollutant removals are usually smaller, indicating the importance of FD-CWs on wastewater treatments using porous river rock and tepezyl as porous filter media. (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), (NO3−-N), (NH4+-N), (TKN), and (PO4−3-P).

2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (12) ◽  
pp. 2795-2806
Author(s):  
M. Manga ◽  
B. E. Evans ◽  
M. A. Camargo-Valero ◽  
N. J. Horan

The effect of sand filter media thickness on the performance of faecal sludge (FS) drying beds was determined in terms of: dewatering time, contaminant load removal efficiency, solids generation rate, nutrient content and helminth eggs viability in the dried sludge. A mixture of ventilated improved pit latrine sludge and septage in the ratio 1:2 was dewatered using three pilot-scale sludge drying beds with sand media thicknesses of 150, 250 and 350 mm. Five dewatering cycles were conducted and monitored for each drying bed. Although the 150 mm filter had the shortest average dewatering time of 3.65 days followed by 250 mm and 350 mm filters with 3.83 and 4.02 days, respectively, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) attributable to filter media thickness configurations. However, there was a significant difference for the percolate contaminant loads in the removal and recovery efficiency of suspended solids, total solids, total volatile solids, nitrogen species, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand, with the highest removal efficiency for each parameter achieved by the 350 mm filter. There were also significant differences in the nutrient content (NPK) and helminth eggs viability of the solids generated by the tested filters. Filtering media configurations similar to 350 mm have the greatest potential for optimising nutrient recovery from FS.


2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1300-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mao Liu ◽  
Boyuan Li ◽  
Yingwen Xue ◽  
Hongyu Wang ◽  
Kai Yang

To investigate the feasibility of using corncob charcoal substrate in constructed wetlands, four laboratory-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) were built. Effluent pollutant (chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH4+-N, total phosphorus (TP)) concentrations during the experiment were determined to reveal pollutant removal mechanisms and efficiencies at different stages. In the stable stage, a VFCW using clay ceramisite substrate under aeration attained higher COD (95.1%), and NH4+-N (95.1%) removal efficiencies than a VFCW using corncob charcoal substrate (91.5% COD, 91.3% NH4+-N) under aeration, but lower TP removal efficiency (clay ceramisite 32.0% and corncob charcoal 40.0%). The VFCW with raw corncob substrate showed stronger COD emissions (maximum concentration 3,108 mg/L) than the corncob charcoal substrate (COD was lower than influent). The VFCW using corncob charcoal substrate performed much better than the VFCW using clay ceramisite substrate under aeration when the C/N ratio was low (C/N = 1.5, TN removal efficiency 36.89%, 4.1% respectively). These results suggest that corncob charcoal is a potential substrate in VFCWs under aeration with a unique self –supplying carbon source property in the denitrification process.


2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Defu Xu ◽  
Yingxue Li ◽  
Xiaolong Fan ◽  
Yidong Guan ◽  
Hua Fang ◽  
...  

Four constructed wetland systems were studied to investigate the effects of adding Eisenia fetida on the purifying capacity of constructed wetlands. Addition of E. fetida increased the photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr) and chlorophyll meter value of leaves of Iris pseudacorus L. in the constructed wetlands by 16, 35 and 7%, respectively. Compared with the substrate only system, evapotranspiration losses were increased by 8, 48 and 56% for the wetland systems with substrate and E. fetida, with substrate and I. pseudacorus, and with substrate, I. pseudacorus and E. fetida, respectively. Addition of E. fetida to the substrate only and substrate and plant wetland systems decreased the substrate bulk density by 3 and 6%, respectively. The addition of E. fetida to the system with substrate and plants increased the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (CODMn), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus by 5, 7 and 22%, respectively. Evapotranspiration losses were significantly positively correlated with the removal efficiency of CODMn (P < 0.01). The significantly negative correlation between the removal efficiency TN and bulk density was found (P < 0.05). Therefore, E. fetida could stimulate I. pseudacorus growth and improve the substrate bulk density in the constructed wetland, resulting in enhanced purifying capacity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 1333-1339 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Morvannou ◽  
N. Forquet ◽  
S. Michel ◽  
S. Troesch ◽  
P. Molle

Approximately 3,500 constructed wetlands (CWs) provide raw wastewater treatment in France for small communities (<5,000 people equivalent). Built during the past 30 years, most consist of two vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) in series (stages). Many configurations exist, with systems associated with horizontal flow filters or waste stabilization ponds, vertical flow with recirculation, partially saturated systems, etc. A database analyzed 10 years earlier on the classical French system summarized the global performances data. This paper provides a similar analysis of performance data from 415 full-scale two-stage VFCWs from an improved database expanded by monitoring data available from Irstea and the French technical department. Trends presented in the first study are confirmed, exhibiting high chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) removal rates (87%, 93% and 84%, respectively). Typical concentrations at the second-stage outlet are 74 mgCOD L−1, 17 mgTSS L−1 and 11 mgTKN L−1. Pollutant removal performances are summarized in relation to the loads applied at the first treatment stage. While COD and TSS removal rates remain stable over the range of applied loads, the spreading of TKN removal rates increases as applied loads increase.


1997 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Reddy ◽  
E. M. D'Angelo

Wetlands support several aerobic and anaerobic biogeochemical processes that regulate removal/retention of pollutants, which has encouraged the intentional use of wetlands for pollutant abatement. The purpose of this paper is to present a brief review of key processes regulating pollutant removal and identify potential indicators that can be measured to evaluate treatment efficiency. Carbon and toxic organic compound removal efficiency can be determined by measuring soil or water oxygen demand, microbial biomass, soil Eh and pH. Similarly, nitrate removal can be predicted by dissolved organic C and microbial biomass. Phosphorus retention can be described by the availability of reactive Fe and Al in acid soils and Ca and Mg in alkaline soils. Relationships between soil processes and indicators are useful tools to transfer mechanistic information between diverse types of wetland treatment systems.


2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ania Morvannou ◽  
Stéphane Troesch ◽  
Dirk Esser ◽  
Nicolas Forquet ◽  
Alain Petitjean ◽  
...  

French vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCW) treating raw wastewater have been developed successfully over the last 30 years. Nevertheless, the two-stage VFCWs require a total filtration area of 2–2.5 m2/P.E. Therefore, implementing a one-stage system in which treatment performances reach standard requirements is of interest. Biho-Filter® is one of the solutions developed in France by Epur Nature. Biho-Filter® is a vertical flow system with an unsaturated layer at the top and a saturated layer at the bottom. The aim of this study was to assess this new configuration and to optimize its design and operating conditions. The hydraulic functioning and pollutant removal efficiency of three different Biho-Filter® plants commissioned between 2011 and 2012 were studied. Outlet concentrations of the most efficient Biho-Filter® configuration are 70 mg/L, 15 mg/L, 15 mg/L and 25 mg/L for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 5-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5), total suspended solids (TSS) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), respectively. Up to 60% of total nitrogen is removed. Nitrification efficiency is mainly influenced by the height of the unsaturated zone and the recirculation rate. The optimum recirculation rate was found to be 100%. Denitrification in the saturated zone works at best with an influent COD/NO3-N ratio at the inflet of this zone larger than 2 and a hydraulic retention time longer than 0.75 days.


Processes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Cisterna-Osorio ◽  
Verónica Lazcano-Castro ◽  
Gisela Silva-Vasquez ◽  
Mauricio Llanos-Baeza ◽  
Ignacio Fuentes-Ortega

The objective of this work is to evaluate the impact of innovative modifications made to conventional effluent capture and discharge devices used in subsurface flow wetlands (SSFW). The main modifications that have been developed extend the influence of the capture and discharge device in such a way that the SSFW width and height are fully covered. This improved innovative device was applied and evaluated in two subsurface flow wetlands, one on a pilot scale and one on a real scale. To evaluate the impact of the innovative device with respect to the conventional one in the operational functioning of subsurface flow wetlands, the elimination of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was measured and compared. The results show that for the innovative device, the COD removal was 10% higher than for the conventional device, confirming the validity and effectiveness of the modifications implemented in the effluent capture and discharge devices used in SSFW.


Processes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Zamora ◽  
Luis Sandoval ◽  
J. Luis Marín-Muñíz ◽  
Gregorio Fernández-Lambert ◽  
M. Graciela Hernández-Orduña

Improving water quality is a relevant environmental aspect, and using constructed wetlands (CWs) is a sustainable option for this; both porous material filled cells and plants that collectively remove contaminants must be readily available and inexpensive. This study evaluated CWs and their functionality by comparing two ornamental plants (Spathiphyllum wallisii and Hedychium coronarium) planted in experimental mesocosm units filled with layers of porous river rock, tepezil, and soil, or in mesocosms with layers of porous river rock, and tepezil, without the presence of soil. The findings during the experiments (180 days), showed that the removal of pollutants (chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids suspended (TSS), nitrogen as ammonium (N-NH4), as nitrate (N-NO3), and phosphate (P-PO4) was 20–50% higher in mesocosms with vegetation that in the absence of this, and those mesocosms with the soil layer between 33–45% favored removal of P-PO4. Differences regarding of vegetation removal were only observed for N-NH4, being 25–45% higher in CWs with H. coronarium, compared with S. wallisii. Both species are suitable for using in CWs, for its functionality as phytoremediation, and aesthetic advantages could generate interest for wastewater treatment in rural communities, parks, schools or in domiciliary levels like floral flower boxes in the backyard. The study also revealed that a soil layer in CWs is necessary to increase the removal of P-PO4, an ion hardly eliminated in water treatment.


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