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Constructed Wetland System For Wastewater Treatmen
Constructed Wetland System For Wastewater Treatmen
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ABSTARCT
Natural wetlands (e.g. swamps, bogs, marshes, fens, sloughs. etc) are being considered beneficial for food
and habitat for wildlife, water quality improvement, flood protection and shoreline erosion control. However
during past few decades it has been observed that the planned use of wetlands for meeting wastewater
treatment and water quality objectives has been seriously studied and implemented in a controlled manner.
Constructed wetland systems (CWS) for wastewater treatment have been proven to be effective, low cost and
sustainable alternative for conventional wastewater treatment technologies. The removal of pollutants in
these systems relies on a combination of physical, chemical and biological processes that naturally occur in
wetlands and are associated with vegetation, sediment and their microbial communities. Numerous studies on
the performances of the wetlands treating wastewater carried out during the last few decades have provided
quantitative information which has been used to improve the treatment efficiency through design and
operation measures. The CWS generally falls under two categories: Subsurface Flow System and Free Water
Systems. Subsurface flow system are designed to create subsurface flow through a permeable medium,
keeping the water being treated below the surface, such system have also been referred as “root zone
system”, “ rock reed filters”, and “ vegetated submerged bed system”. Free water surface systems on the
other hand are designed to simulate natural wetlands, with the water flowing over the soil surface at the
shallow depth. Both types of wetlands treatment systems typically constructed in basins or channels with a
natural or constructed subsurface barrier to limit seepage. The paper reviews the different types of
constructed wetlands employed for the treatment of wastewater including its use as polishing unit. The design
aspects of CWS are also discussed and suggestions have been recommended for the optimum design and
operation and maintenance of CWS
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distribution can be used to spread the wastewater Design Criteria
evenly over the system (David et al, 2002).
There are several design models based on first order
plug flow kinetic models. One of the method is Reed
method to calculate the area of free water surface
constructed wetland considering the BOD removal, as
described by the “Guide lines for using free water
surface constructed wetland to treat municipal sewage”
(Knight Mertz, 2000). In his model Reed incorporated
flowrate, wetland depth, wetland porosity, a
temperature-based rate constant, and inflow and
outflow concentrations. The rate constant is a function
Figure 3. Wetland Controls and Liner
of depth and porosity of the wetland. Reed equation is
the following:
CWs with free floating macrophytes may contain large
A =Q ln(Ci/Co)/KTdnv and KT = K20Ө (Tw−20)
plants with well developed submerged roots such as
water hyacinths cattails, bulrushes (Fig. 4) or a small
where A is the wetland treatment area (m2), Q the
surface floating plants with little or no roots such as
influent wastewater flow (m3/d), Ci the influent
duckweeds (Greenway, 1997). The capacity of water
pollutant concentration at wetland inlet (mg/l), Co the
hyacinths to purify wastewater is well documented
effluent pollutant concentration at wetland outlet
(Reddy and Sultan, 1984; Reddy and de Busk 1985).
(mg/l), d the water depth in wetland (m), nv the void
The extensive root system of the weed provides large
ratio or porosity corresponding to proportion of typical
surface area for microorganisms thus increasing the
wetland cross section not occupied by vegetation, KT
potential for decomposition of organic matter. Plant
the rate constant corresponding to water temperature in
uptake is the predominant process for nutrient removal
wetland (d−1), K20 the rate constant at 20 ◦C reference
from wastewater treatment systems containing water
temperature (d−1), Tw the wetland temperature (◦C) and
hyacinth plants (Reddy and Sultan, 1984).
Ө is the temperature coefficient for rate constant. The
first-order kinetic constant values at 20 ◦C (K20) and the
temperature coefficient (Ө) depends on the pollutant
removal. For BOD removal K20 = 0.678 d−1 and Ө=
1.06 while for NH4+ removal K20 = 0.218 d−1 and Ө=
1.048. Wetland temperature Tw is a fundamental
parameter for the designer because the removal of
BOD and the various nitrogen forms are temperature
dependent (Siracusa and Rosa, 2006). Winter
temperatures correspond to lower reaction rates and
should be used in the design calculations. Water depths
are typically deeper ranging from 0.6 – 1.00 m.
Supplementary aeration has been used with floating
plant system to increase the treatment capacity and to
maintain aerobic conditions.
For subsurface flow constructed wetland Kikuth
(1977) proposed the following equation which is
widely used for sizing of systems for domestic sewage
Figure 4. Floating Aquatic Plant System treatment
Ah = Qd (ln Cin – ln Cout)
KBOD
The underdrain system at the end of the wetland Where Ah is the surface flow of bed (m2), Qd is
is a slotted pipe covered with drainfield rock. The the average flow rate (m3/d), Cin is the influent BOD5
underdrain moves the treated effluent out of the (mg/L), Cout is the effluent BOD5 and KBOD is the rate
wetland and keeps the effluent level below the surface constant (d-1). A typical SSF constructed wetland has a
of the gravel. This prevents the effluent from coming depth of filtration bed usually 0.6 – 0.8 m in order to
into contact with people and also keeps the water level allow the roots of wetland plants to penetrate the whole
high enough to sustain growth. bed and to ensure the oxygen generation of the whole
bed through oxygen released from roots.
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Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands (Brix., et. al., prolonged period (Arias et al., 2001; Del Bubba et al.,
2005) 2003; Arias and Brix, 2005). Therefore, the phosphorus
binding capacities of various artificial media have been
Investigators are doing extensive researches to develop assessed in the laboratory in an attempt to find a
a constructed wetland system that will meet the most medium that could be used to bind phosphorus. The
stringent treatment class, i.e. 95% removal of BOD5, idea was to establish a separate exchangeable filter unit
90% removal of total-P and 90% nitrification (Brix et after the constructed wetland system to remove
al., 2003; Arias et al., 2003a,b). These studies, as well phosphorus from the effluent (Brix et al., 2001; Arias
as investigations performed in other countries, clearly et al., 2003a). A suitable calcite material was
demonstrated that vertical flow constructed wetland identified, but the full-scale tests showed that removal
systems would be able to fulfill these treatment initially was good, but after a few months, the H. Brix,
demands (Platzer, 1996; Laber et al., 1997; Cooper, C.A. Arias / Ecological Engineering 25 (2005) 491–
1999; Brix et al., 2002; Weedon, 2003). An 500 493 filters were saturated with phosphorus and
experimental vertical flow constructed wetland system there were problems with clogging. It has not
was established (Fig. 5&6) at a traditional municipal subsequently been possible to solve the inherent
wastewater treatment plant so that the loading rate problems with this material. Instead phosphorus
could be manipulated as desired, and a number of tests removal can be obtained by simple precipitation with
were conducted in order to establish the treatment an aluminum compound in the sedimentation tank prior
capacity of vertical flow beds (Johansen et al., 2002). to the wetland.
The studies documented that the capacity of vertical Based on the initial experiences from the
flow constructed wetlands to remove BOD5 and to experimental systems, a full-scale system was
nitrify is very high and determined the area-demand of constructed treating the sewage from a single
the system. It was documented that vertical flow beds household with four persons. The system consists of a
are extremely effective in removing suspended solids 2-m3 three-chamber sedimentation tank, a level-
and BOD5, and they do also nitrify at high loading rates controlled pump and a 15- m2 vertical flow constructed
even during cold winters (Brix et al., 2002).The studies wetland. Effluent from the system can be recirculated
also evaluated the effects of recirculation of nitrified to the sedimentation tank to enhance removal of total-
effluent back to the sedimentation tank in order to nitrogen by denitrification (Brix, 2003a). Phosphorus
enhance denitrification in the sedimentation tank (Brix was initially removed by a separate exchangeable
etal., 2002, 2003; Marti et al., 2003; Arias et al., 2005). filter-unit containing calcite. However, because of the
A recycling rate of one to one, i.e. 100% recycling, problems mentioned above, this system was
resulted in about 50% denitrification. Recycling also abandoned, and phosphorus is now removed by
improved and stabilized the overall treatment chemical precipitation in the sedimentation tank. The
performance of the system. The removal of indicator performance of the single household system has been
bacteria in the system was about 2 log-units (Arias et monitored under conditions with recirculation as well
al., 2003b). Phosphorus removal in vertical flow as without recirculation, and has documented the
constructed wetlands is very limited, and it is not importance of recirculation for the treatment
possible to obtain a sand bed medium that has a performance
sufficient high capacity to bind phosphorus for a
Figure 5. General layout of a single household vertical flow constructed wetland system. (Brix. Et. al.,2005)
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Figure 6. Layout of a vertical flow constructed wetland system for a single household. (Brix. Et. al., 2005)
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Platzer, C., (1996), Enhanced nitrogen elimination in
subsurface flow artificial wetlands—a multi stage
concept. In: Proceedings of the Fifth International
Conference on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution
Control, Universit¨at f¨ur Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna,
Austria.
Reddy, K.R. and Sultan, D.L., (1984), “Water Hyacinths for
Water Quality Improvement and Biomass Production”,
J. Environ. Qual. 13, 1-8
Reddy, K.R. and De Busk, W.X., (1985), “Nutrient Removal
Potential of Selected Aquatix Macrophytes”, J.
Environ. Qual. 14, 459-462
Sinclair Knight Mertz, (2000), “Guidelines fro using Free
Water System Constructed Wetland to Treat Municipal
Sewage”: Queensland Department of natural
Resources, Brisbane, Australia
Siracusa Gand and Rosa, A.D., (2006), “Design of a
Constructed Wetland Trreatment in a Sicilian Town
and Environment Evaluation using Energy Analysis”,
Ecological Modelling, 137L, 490-497
Vymazal J., (1998), “Types of Constructed Wetlands for
Wastewater Treatment”, In: A paper presented at the
Sixth International Conference on Wetland System for
Water Pollution Control, Brazil
Vymazal, J., (2005), “Horizontal Subsurface Flow and
Hybrid Constructed wetland System for Wastewater
Treatment”, Ecological Engineering, 24, 478-490
Weedon, C.M., (2003), Compact vertical flow constructed
wetland systems—first two years’ performance. Water
Sci. Technol. 48 (5), 15–23.
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