Adaptation of wastewater surface flow wetland formulae for application in constructed stormwater wetlands

Over the past 30 years, the use of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment has been a topic of significant research culminating in a good data base from which simplistic equations have been derived to aid in the design of these facilities to meet long term water quality treatment performance criteria. Over the past decade, the use of treatment wetlands has extended to stormwater and combined sewer overflow (CSO) management applications. Designing constructed wetlands for stormwater and CSO applications have unique challenges stemming from the highly stochastic nature of the hydraulic and pollutant loading on a stormwater wetland compared with wastewater treatment systems. This paper explores the possibility of adapting the simplistic models for wastewater wetlands for interim use in developing design guidelines for stormwater wetland systems. A procedure that takes into account the unsteady intermittent nature of stormwater inflows to these wetlands has been incorporated into one of these simplistic models and a case study presented to demonstrate the application of the procedure.     

Performance of laboratory-scale constructed wetlands coupled with micro-electric field for heavy metal-contaminating wastewater treatment

This study reports the performance of laboratory-scale constructed wetlands coupled with micro-electric field (CWMEF) planted cannas (Canna generalis) for heavy metal-contaminating wastewater treatment. The CWMEF had a better performance for heavy metal (HM) removal from wastewater than did the ordinary constructed wetlands (CWs). Owing to the stimulation of the suitable voltage and electrical exposure time, cannas may grew better and in fact assimilated more metallic ions in CWMEF than in CWs. The environmental conditions in CWMEF, such as the higher pH by electrolysis of water, the presence of aluminum ions by anodizing of aluminum, caused chemical precipitation, physical adsorption and flocculation of metallic ions.     

Removal of pharmaceutical compounds in tropical constructed wetlands

The ability of tropical horizontal subsurface constructed wetlands (HSSF CWs) planted with Typha angustifolia to remove four widely used pharmaceutical compounds (carbamazepine, declofenac, ibuprofen and naproxen) at the relatively short hydraulic residence time of 2-4 days was documented. For both ibuprofen and naproxen, pharmaceutical compounds with low D_ow values, the planted beds showed significant (p < 0.05) enhancement of removal efficiencies (80% and 91%, respectively, at the 4 day HRT), compared to unplanted beds (60% and 52%, respectively). The presence of plants resulted in the removal of these pharmaceutical compounds from artificial wastewater. The more oxidizing environment in the rhizosphere might have played an important role, but other rhizosphere effects, beside rhizosphere aeration, appeared to be important also. Carbamazepine, considered one of the most recalcitrant pharmaceuticals, and declofenac showed low removal efficiencies in our CW, and this is attributable to their higher hydrophobicity. The fact that the removal of these compounds could be explained by the sorption onto the available organic surfaces, explains why there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in their removal efficiencies between planted as compared to unplanted beds. No statistical significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed for the removal efficiencies of any of the pharmaceuticals tested for the 2-day HRT as compared to that corresponding to 4-day HRT. The rather efficient removal shown by the wetlands in this study (with HRTs of 2-4 days), indicates that such a CW system may be more practically used (with less land requirements) in tropical regions for removing conventional pollutants and certain pharmaceutical compounds from wastewater effluents.     

人工湿地对猪场废水有机物处理效果的研究

分别以香根草 (Vetiveriazizanioides)和风车草 (Cyperusalternifolius)为植被 ,按 1.0m× 0 .5m×0 .8m建立人工湿地 ,通过 4季测试 ,研究其对猪场废水有机物的净化功能及其随季节、进水浓度及水力停留时间变化的规律 .结果表明 ,4个季节香根草或风车草人工湿地对COD和BOD有较稳定的去除效果 ,两湿地抗有机负荷冲击能力强 .在春季 ,停留时间 1～ 2d ,COD和BOD去除率分别为 70 %和 80 %;在夏季 ,进水COD高达 10 0 0～ 140 0mg·L-1情况下 ,COD去除率接近 90 %;在秋季 ,停留时间 1～ 2d ,COD和BOD去除率分别为 5 0 %～ 6 0 %和 5 0 %;在冬季 ,进水COD达 10 0 3mg·L-1情况下 ,COD去除率在 70 %以上 .COD、BOD和SS的去除率在两湿地间没有显著差异 .人工湿地污染物 (Y)随水力停留时间 (t)延长的降解遵从指数方程规律Yt=Y0 ·e( -kt) .在相同停留时间时 ,随进水污染物浓度 (x)提高的出水污染物浓度 (y)的回归关系遵从直线方程规律 y =a+bx .     

Treatment of olive mill wastewater in pilot-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands

Pilot-scale constructed wetlands (CW) were constructed and operated to treat pre-treated olive mill wastewater. Pilot-scale units comprising three identical series with four pilot-scale vertical flow CWs were operated for one harvest season in a Greek olive mill plant. The pilot-scale CWs were filled with various porous media (i.e., cobble, gravel, and sand) of different gradations. Two series of pilot-scale units were planted with common reeds and the third (control) was unplanted. Mean influent concentrations were 14,120 mg/L, 2841 mg/L, 95 mg/L, 123 mg/L and 506 mg/L for COD, phenols, ortho-phosphate, ammonia and TKN, respectively. Despite the rather high influent concentrations, the performance of the CW units was very effective since it achieved removals of about 70%, 70%, 75% and 87% for COD, phenols, TKN and ortho-phosphate, respectively. COD, phenol and TKN removal seems to be significantly higher in the planted series, while ortho-phosphate removal shows no significant differences among the three series. Temperature and pollutant surface load seem to affect the removal efficiency of all pollutants. Compared to previous studies, pollutant surface loads applied here were higher (by one or two orders of magnitude). Even though high removal efficiencies were achieved, effluent pollutant concentrations remained high, thus preventing their use for irrigation or immediate disposal into the environment.     

Phosphorus retention capacity of root bed media of sub-surface flow constructed wetlands

Phosphorus retention by sub-surface flow constructed wetlands is dependent upon the effluent quality, loading rate and type of root bed media. Three types of root bed media (Lockport dolomite, Queenston shale and Fonthill sand) at various stages of their use were sampled from a sub-surface flow wetland located in Sewage Waste Amendment Marsh Process Project (SWAMP), Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, and their P sorption characteristics were investigated. Lower equilibrium P concentration (EPC_o) and higher P sorption maxima (S_max) and retention capacity (P_r) of untreated Fonthill sand compared to untreated Lockport dolomite and Queenston shale indicated that Fonthill sand could be better root bed media for sub-surface flow constructed wetland systems to remove P from wastewater. In general, EPC_o of the root bed media increased with the duration of their use. Untreated root bed media indicated that the greater the amount of poorly crystalline forms of aluminum (Al), and magnesium (Mg) contents, the greater their EPC₀. The P sorption maxima of root bed media increased with use by accumulation of amorphous and poorly crystalline forms of Al and iron (Fe). However, in alkaline root bed media, preferential P sorption occurred more on amorphous and poorly crystalline forms of Al than Fe. This study also indicated that increases in P sorption capacities of root bed media do not necessarily assure lower effluent P concentrations, since EPC_o increased by several fold with use.     

The role of constructed wetlands in secondary effluent treatment and water reuse in subtropical and arid Australia

Water reclamation and reuse is being actively promoted in Australia. In Queensland, surface-flow constructed wetlands with a diversity of macrophyte types offer the greatest potential for effluent polishing. Constructed wetlands in subtropical climates in coastal regions and arid climates in inland western regions are conducive to high macrophyte growth rates and nutrient removal, in particular nitrogen, producing an effluent suitable for irrigation, restoration of wetlands and/or release into natural waterways. Faecal-coliform removal is also high, producing effluent with <1000 cfu/100 mL and as low as 100 cfu/100 mL, acceptable for agricultural irrigation. Constructed wetlands can be designed to maximise the removal of both nutrients and pathogens by enhancing macrophyte diversity and natural disinfection processes by incorporating lagoons, shallow-water wetlands and subsurface-flow wetlands into the treatment train. Surface-flow wetlands can also be designed to minimise mosquito breeding by increasing macro-invertebrate predators, thereby alleviating community concerns about potential health risks. This paper addresses the role of constructed wetlands in nutrient and pathogen removal in Queensland's wetlands, and presents three case studies with respect to effluent reuse.     

Effect of wastewater step-feeding on removal efficiency of pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands

The performance of a pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow (HSF) constructed wetland is investigated with emphasis on the effects of wastewater step-feeding. One pilot-scale unit, of dimensions 3 m in length and 0.75 m in width, operated continuously from January 2004 until February 2007. The unit contained cobbles obtained from a river bed and was planted with common reed (Phragmites australis). Synthetic wastewater was introduced to the unit. During the first two years of operation (period A) one inflow point was used at the upstream end of the unit. During the third year of operation (period B), wastewater step-feeding was adopted. Wastewater was introduced to the unit through three inlet points: one at the upstream end of the unit length and the other two at 1/3 and 2/3 of the unit length. Two wastewater step-feeding schemes were examined during the second working period: 33:33:33 and 60:25:15. Three HRTs (6, 8 and 14 days) were applied; wastewater temperatures varied from 6.0 to 25.0 °C. On the whole, the adoption of step-feeding in a HSF CW may be positive if an appropriate scheme is selected. Indeed, the removal of organic matter (BOD₅ and COD), nitrogen (TKN and ammonia) and phosphorus (Total Phosphorus and ortho-phosphate) was improved under the step-feeding Scheme 60:25:15, while the other scheme (33:33:33) affected negatively the wetland performance.     

垂直流人工湿地的设计及净化功能初探

阐述了垂直流人工湿地小试系统的设计,并测试其冬季污水净化效果,垂直流人工湿地由下地流和上行流方式的两池组成,对受污染地面水体中的CODCr,BOD5和TSS的去除率分别为53．6％,78．7％和80．2％,对细菌,总大肠菌,粪大肠菌和藻类的平均去除率分别达99．4％,85．9％,89．7％和97．7％,。对KN,HN4^ -N和TP的平均去除率分别为39．2％,16．5％和25．8％,各系统对污染物的去除作用无明显差异。系统出水NO3^-N浓度高于进水,而有植物系统中又高于无植物的对照,表明湿地植物的存在有利于硝化,表明下行流－上行流人工湿地在冬季仍能较好地改善水质,是一种有效的水处理技术,对水体水质改善和水生态系恢复具有重要意义。     

Removal of pharmaceuticals in microcosm constructed wetlands using Typha spp. and LECA

Microcosm constructed wetlands systems established with a matrix of light expanded clay aggregates (LECA) and planted with Typha spp. were used to evaluate their ability to remove pharmaceuticals ibuprofen, carbamazepine and clofibric acid from wastewaters. Seasonal variability of these systems’ performances was also evaluated. Overall, removal efficiencies of 96%, 97% and 75% for ibuprofen, carbamazepine and clofibric acid, respectively, were achieved under summer conditions after a retention time of 7 days. In winter, a maximum loss of 26% in removal efficiency was observed for clofibric acid. Removal kinetics was characterized by a fast initial step (>50% removal within 6 h) mainly due to adsorption on LECA but, on a larger timescale, plants also contributed significantly to the system’s performance. Despite the fact that further tests using larger-scale systems are required, this study points to the possible application of these low-cost wastewater treatment systems for dealing with pharmaceuticals contaminated wastewater.     

Biodiversity of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment

Constructed wetlands are often built for wastewater treatment to mitigate the adverse effects of organic pollution in streams and rivers caused by inputs of municipal wastewater. However, there has been little analysis of biodiversity and related factors influencing the ecosystem functioning of constructed wetlands. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biodiversity of two free-water-surface integrated constructed wetlands in subtropical Taiwan by analyzing the water quality, habitat characteristics, and biotic communities of algae, macrophytes, birds, fish, and aquatic macroinvertebrates in the treatment cells. Our results indicated that the two integrated constructed wetlands (Hsin-Hai II and Daniaopi Constructed Wetlands) achieved good performance in reducing the concentrations of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), and loadings of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from municipal sewage. In total, 58 bird species, 7 fish species, and 34 aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded in the two wetlands. The results of stepwise multiple regressions showed that the richness, abundance, and diversity of birds increased with wetland area. Fish richness and abundance respectively increased with wetland area and dissolved oxygen, while the diversity decreased with increases in TP concentrations. The richness and density of aquatic macroinvertebrates increased with the cover of aquatic macrophytes, while the diversity increased with wetland area. Ordination analyses indicated that variations in the community structures of birds, fishes, and aquatic macroinvertebrates were respectively best explained by water temperature, wetland area, and species richness of fish. Our results suggest that wetland area, cover of aquatic macrophytes, and water quality were the most important factors governing the diversity in the constructed wetlands, and that the factors influencing community structures varied among different taxonomic groups. In addition to improving water quality, this study implied that the biodiversity of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment can be enhanced through proper design and management.     

Changes in the bacterial community structure in two-stage constructed wetlands with different plants for industrial wastewater treatment

This study focused on the diversity of bacterial communities from two series of two-stage constructed wetlands (CWs) treating tannery wastewater, under different hydraulic conditions. Series were separately planted with Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis in expanded clay aggregates and operated for 31 months. The effect of plant species, hydraulic loading and unit stage on bacterial communities was addressed through bacterial enumeration and denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Diverse and distinct bacterial communities were found in each system unit, which was related in part to the type of plant and stage position (first or second unit in the series). Numerical analysis of DGGE profiles showed high diversity in each unit with an even distribution of species. No clear relation was established between the sample collection time, hydraulic loading applied and the bacterial diversity.     

Long-term performance of constructed wetlands with horizontal sub-surface flow: Ten case studies from the Czech Republic

Constructed wetlands with horizontal sub-surface flow (HF CWs) have been in use in the Czech Republic since 1989. Evaluation of the long-term performance of horizontal sub-surface flow constructed wetlands in the Czech Republic indicates that removal of organics and suspended solids is very effective; efficiencies are steady throughout the year and are not affected by season and also by the length of operation. The results from systems treating wastewaters from combined sewer systems clearly indicate that HF CWs can very effectively cope with low inflow concentrations of organics and can provide effluent BOD₅ concentrations less than 5 mg l⁻¹. Phosphorus removal is seasonally steady but low as Czech constructed wetlands do not use special filtration media with high sorption capacity. This is not a problem, because in the Czech Republic, there is currently no discharge limit for phosphorus for wastewater treatment plants up to 2000 person equivalents (PE). Removal of ammonia-N is limited by lack of dissolved oxygen in filtration beds caused by permanent saturation. The removal of ammonia-N is steady over the life of operation but is affected by season but the decrease in ammonia removal efficiency during winter is not large.     

Environmental decision support systems: A new approach to support the operation and maintenance of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands

This paper describes the development and operation of an Environmental Decision Support System (EDSS) to improve the operation and maintenance of horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetlands (EDSS-maintenance). Constructed wetlands (CWs) allow wastewater treatment in a sustainable manner since they involve low energy consumption, low construction and functioning costs and low environmental impact. However, operation and maintenance activities are essential to guarantee reliability in CWs performance. The definition of operation and maintenance protocols depends on several quantitative and qualitative aspects such as wastewater treatment plant configuration, CW design, influent characteristics, sensitivity of the receiving media, etc. Bearing this in mind and considering the limited technical knowledge about CWs, the need for a new tool to support CW performance is clear. In this sense, EDSSs offer a new approach because they can tackle problems of complex and uncertain systems. The EDSS-maintenance provides operation and maintenance manuals specifically defined for every CW. To achieve it, the required knowledge was implemented within a rule-based system, which forms the backbone of the EDSS. Several features presented in this paper demonstrate how the EDSS-maintenance provides a proper platform to support the necessary collaborative work in the ecological engineering problem of horizontal subsurface flow CWs operation and maintenance.     

Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment

The first experiments using wetland macrophytes for wastewater treatment were carried by out by Käthe Seidel in Germany in early 1950s. The horizontal sub-surface flow constructed wetlands (HF CWs) were initiated by Seidel in the early 1960s and improved by Reinhold Kickuth under the name Root Zone Method in late 1960s and early 1970s and spread throughout Europe in 1980s and 1990s. However, cohesive soils proposed by Kickuth got clogged very quickly because of low hydraulic permeability and were replaced by more porous media such as gravel in late 1980s in the United Kingdom and this design feature is still used. In fact, the use of porous media with high hydraulic conductivity was originally proposed by Seidel. HF CWs provide high removal of organics and suspended solids but removal of nutrients is low. Removal of nitrogen is limited by anoxic/anaerobic conditions in filtration beds which do not allow for ammonia nitrification. Phosphorus removal is restricted by the use of filter materials (pea gravel, crushed rock) with low sorption capacity. Various types of constructed wetlands may be combined in order to achieve higher treatment effect, especially for nitrogen. However, hybrid systems are comprised most frequently of vertical flow (VF) and HF systems arranged in a staged manner. HF systems cannot provide nitrification because of their limited oxygen transfer capacity. VF systems, on the other hand, do provide a good conditions for nitrification but no denitrification occurs in these systems. In hybrid systems (also sometimes called combined systems) the advantages of the HF and VF systems can be combined to complement processes in each system to produce an effluent low in BOD, which is fully nitrified and partly denitrified and hence has a much lower total-N outflow concentrations.     

Microbial removal from the separated liquid fraction of anaerobically digested pig manure in meso-scale integrated constructed wetlands

The aim was to investigate microbial removal from the liquid fraction of anaerobically digested pig manure in meso-scale integrated constructed wetlands (ICW’s) over a 13 month period. Four treatments were investigated: T1 (standard), T2 (effluent recycling), T3 (high nutrient loading), and T4 (high flow rate). Mean counts of yeasts and moulds and spore-forming bacteria were higher in T3 and T4 than in T1 and T2 (P < 0.05). Flow through the cells reduced mean counts of coliform, yeasts and moulds and spore-forming bacteria across all treatments (P < 0.01). Counts varied with season; coliform were highest in the Summer (P < 0.001), with yeasts and moulds highest in the Summer and Autumn (P < 0.01) and spore-formers lowest in the Autumn (P < 0.001). As Salmonella was undetectable in the influent and Escherichia coli and Enterococcus were rarely detected it is difficult to make conclusions regarding pathogen removal. Further investigations using marked strains would allow pathogen tracking within the ICW’s.     

Spatial distribution of metals in the constructed wetlands

Investigation of the spatial distribution of metals was conducted for two constructed wetlands used as tertiary treatment in Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science (CNU) and Metal Processing Industries (MPI) located in Tainan, Taiwan. These two distinguished sites were selected to compare the distribution of metals for constructed wetlands treating different types of wastewater. Along the distance, samples of water, sediment, and macrophytes were analyzed for metals including Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Additionally, measurements of water quality including temperature, pH, EC, ORP, DO, TSS, BOD, COD, and turbidity were performed. Results show that, at CNU, wastewater contained higher organic consititute (BOD 29.3 +/- 11.7 mg/, COD 46.7 +/- 33.6 mg/L) with low metals content. Wastewater at MPI contained low level of organic consititute (BOD 7.1 +/- 3.3 mg/L, and COD 66.0 +/- 56.5 mg/L) and higher metals content. Metals distribution of both sites showed similar results where metals in the sediments in the inlet zone have greater concentrations than other areas. The constructed wetlands can remove Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. However, there was no removal of Al, Cr, Fe, and Mn. A distance along the constructed wetlands had no effect on metal concentrations in macrophyte and water.     

Development of a constructed subsurface-flow wetland simulation model

This paper presents a mechanistic, compartmental simulation model of subsurface-flow constructed wetlands. The model consists of six submodels, including the nitrogen and carbon cycles, both autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria growth and metabolism, and water and oxygen balances. Data from an existing constructed wetland in Maryland were used to calibrate the model. Model results reproduced seasonal trends well. Interactions between the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen cycles were evident in model output. In general, effluent biochemical oxygen demand, organic nitrogen, ammonium and nitrate concentrations were predicted well. Because little is known about rootzone aeration by wetland plants, oxygen predictions were fair. The model is generally insensitive to changes in individual parameters. This is due to the complexity of the ecosystem and the model, as well as the numerous feedback mechanisms. The model is most sensitive to changes in parameters that affect microbial growth and substrate use directly. This dynamic, compartmental, simulation model is an effective tool for evaluating the performance of subsurface-flow constructed wetlands. The model provided insights into treatment problems at an existing constructed wetland. With further evaluation and refinement, the model will be a useful design tool for subsurface-flow constructed wetlands.