Significance of Primary Treatment Selection in the Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment in Constructed Wetlands (CWs)

This research explores strategies to enhance the efficiency of secondary treatment in Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands (CW) in Montenegro. The focus is on selecting appropriate primary treatment methods alongside three distinct substrate types to improve wastewater treatment efficacy. The study examines the combination of two primary treatments with different substrate types in constructed wetlands (CW1, CW2, and CW3). The primary treatments include the existing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Podgorica, involving coarse material removal through screens, inert material separation in aerated sand traps, and sediment and suspended matter removal in primary sedimentation tanks. The Extreme Separator (ExSep) was employed to evaluate its efficacy as a primary treatment method. The research demonstrates that the efficiency of CW can be significantly enhanced by selecting suitable primary treatment methods and substrates in Podgorica’s conditions. The most promising results were achieved by combining ExSep as a primary treatment with secondary treatment in CW-3. The removal efficiencies after CW3 for COD, BOD, and TSS exceeded 89%, 93%, and 91%, respectively. The outcomes underscore the significance of primary treatment in mitigating pollutant loads before discharge into the constructed wetlands, emphasizing potential areas for further optimization in wastewater treatment practices to enhance environmental sustainability and water quality management.

Significance of Substrate Selection in the Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment in Constructed Wetlands (CWs)

Constructed wetlands (CWs) can achieve a high-quality wastewater treatment and a quality that meets the prescribed standard, defined by legislation on wastewater discharge. A limitation in the application of constructed wetlands (CWs) is the large area requirement, which limits their application. The subject matter of this research is to check the possibility of improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment and reducing the required area for constructed wetlands (CWs) by using an adequate substrate under the conditions found in Montenegro. In the described experiment, the constructed wetlands (CW) have a vertical flow system and play the role of a secondary wastewater treatment, receiving water from the existing WWTP in Podgorica after the primary treatment. These vertical flow systems reflect experience with the use of similar systems in Slovenija, Austria and Italy. Measurements to date show that the substrate plays an important role and that wastewater treatment efficacy varies significantly with respect to the type of substrate when used under the conditions available in Montenegro.

Effect of carbon source on the denitrification in constructed wetlands

The ability of constructed wetlands with different plants in nitrate removal were investigated. The factors promoting the rates of denitrification including organic carbon, nitrate load, plants in wetlands, pH and water temperature in field were systematically investigated. The results showed that the additional carbon source （glucose） can remarkably improve the nitrate removal ability of the constructed wetland. It demonstrated that the nitrate removal rate can increase from 20% to more than 50% in summer and from 10% to 30% in winter, when the nitrate concentration was 30-40 rag/L, the retention time was 24 h and 25 mg/L dissolved organic carbon （DOC） was ploughed into the constructed wetland. However, the nitrite in the constructed wetland accumulated a little with the supply of the additional carbon source in summer and winter, and it increased from 0.15 to 2 mg/L in the effluent. It was also found that the abilities of plant in adjusting pH and temperature can result in an increase of denitrification in wetlands. The seasonal change may also impact the denitrification.

Clogging processes caused by biofilm growth and organic particle accumulation in lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands

The accumulation of organic matter in substratum pores is regarded as an important factor causing clogging separately in the subsurface flow constructed wetlands.In this study,the developing process of clogging caused by biofilm growth or organic particle accumulation instead of total organic matter accumulation was investigated in two groups of lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands（VFCWs）,which were fed with glucose（dissolved organic matter） and starch（particulate organic matter） influent.Results showed that the growth of biofilms within the substratum pores certainly caused remarkable reduction of effective porosity,especially for the strong organic wastewater,whereas its influence on infiltration rate was negligible.It was implied that the most important contribution of biofilm growth to clogging was accelerating the occurrence of clogging.In comparison with biofilm growth,particles accumulation within pores could rapidly reduce infiltration rate besides effective porosity and the clogging occurred in the upper 0-15 cm layer.With approximately equal amount of accumulated organic matter,the effective porosity of the clogged layer in starch-fed systems was far less than that of glucose-fed systems,which indicated that composition and accumulation mode in addition to the amount of the accumulated organic matter played an important role in causing clogging.

Performance of a subsurface-flow constructed wetland in Southern China

The operational performance of a full scale subsurface flow constructed wetland, which treated the mixed industrial and domestic wastewater with BOD 5/COD mean ratio of 0 33 at Shatian, Shenzhen City was studied. The constructed wetland system consists of screens, sump, pumping station, and primary settling basin, facultative pond, first stage wetland and secondary stage wetland. The designed treatment capacity is 5000 m 3/d, and the actual influent flow is in the range of <2000 to >10000 m 3/d. Under normal operational conditions, the final effluent quality well met the National Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard(GB 8978\_1996), with the following parameters(mean values): COD 33 90 mg/L, BOD 5 7.65 mg/L, TSS 7.92 mg/L, TN 9.11 mg/L and TP 0 56 mg/L. Seven species of plants were selected to grow in the wetland: Reed, Sweetcane flower Silvergrass, Great Bulrush, Powdery Thalia and Canna of three colours. The growing season is a whole year round. The seasonal discrepancy could be observed and the plants growing in the wetland are vulnerable to lower temperature in winter. The recycling of the effluent in the first stage of the wetland system is an effective measure to improve the performance of the wetland system. The insufficient DO value in the wetland system not only had significant effect on pollutants removal in the wetland, but also was unfavourable to plant growth. The recycling of effluent to the inlet of wetland system and artificial pond to increase DO value of influent to the wetland is key to operate the subsurface constructed wetland steadily and effectively.

Comparative study of microbial community structure in different filter media of constructed wetland

Comparisons of microbial community structure, in eight filter media of zeolites, anthracite, shale, vermiculite, ceramic filter media, gravel, steel slag and bio-ceramic, were undertaken by analyzing the phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） composition. A total of 20 fatty acids in the range of C18to C20 were determined but only 13 PLFAs were detected in steel slag. They consist of saturated fatty acids, branched fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The variation of fatty acids was revealed in the relative proportions of these fatty acids in different media. The aerobic prokaryotes were the predominant group in all media. The PLFA composition showed significant differences among the eight different media by Tukey＇s honestly test. It was found that steel slag was significantly different in the microbial community as compared to other filter media, probably due to its alkaline effluent. Steel slag alone is probably not a good choice of substratum in constructed wetlands. The principle components analysis （PCA） showed that zeolites, bio-ceramic, shale and vermiculite had a similar microbial community structure while steel slag and ceramic filter media were distinct from other media.

Characteristics of the microbial communities in the integrated vertical-flow constructed wetlands

Microorganisms play an important role in removing pollutants from constructed wetlands. We investigated the microbial characteristics in a novel integrated vertical-flow constructed wetland （IVCW）, which has been in operation in Wuhan, China since 1998. We used phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） and amoA gene to analyze the structure and diversity of the microbial community within the IVCW. PLFA results suggested that the amount of bacterial PLFA was significantly higher than that of fungal PLFA, but the total microbial biomass represented by PLFA index was low in the system. Microbial spatial distribution showed significantly higher bacterial （both G^＋ and G^-） and fungal biomass in the surface than in the subsurface layers. The ratios of monounsaturated to branched PLFA demonstrated that an anaerobic layer sandwiched by two aerobic layers existed in the IVCW, consistent with the redox potential results. Analysis of the amoA revealed the presence of Nitrosomonas-like sequences in the surface substrate of the downflow chamber and apparent diversities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the system. These results suggest that microorganisms, despite their relatively low biomass, have inhabited the IVCW, and the results will offer some valuable information on microbe to system designers and managers.

Enhancing treatment efficiency of swine wastewater by effluent recirculation in vertical-flow constructed wetland

Livestock wastewater has been a major contributor to Chinese cultural eutrophication of surface waters. Constructed wetlands are under study as a best management practice to treat wastewater from dairy and swine operations, but the removal efficiency of pollutants is relatively low. Enhancing the treatment efficiency of livestock wastewater by effluent recirculation was investigated in a pilot-scale vertical-flow constructed wetland. The wetland system was composed of downflow and upflow stages, on which narrow-leaf Phragmites communis and common reed Phragraites Typhia are planted, respectively; each stage has a dimension of 4 m^2 （2 m × 2 m）. Wastewater from facultative pond was fed into the system intermittently at a flow rate of 0.4 m^3/d. Recirculation rates of 0, 25%, 50%, 100% and 150% were adopted to evaluate the effect of the recirculation rate on pollutants removal. It shows that with effluent recirculation the average removal efficiencies of NH4-N, biological oxygen demand （BOD5） and suspended solids（SS） obviously increase to 61.7%, 81.3%, and 77.1%, respectively, in comparison with the values of 35.6%, 50.2%, and 49.3% without effluent recirculation. But the improvement of TP removal is slight, only from 42.3% to 48.9%. The variations of NH4-N, dissolved oxygen（DO） and oxidation-reduction potential（ORP） of inflow and outflow reveal that the adoption of effluent recirculation is benefi- cial to the formation of oxide environment in wetland. The exponential relationships with excellent correlation coefficients （R2 〉0.93） are found between the removal rates of NH4-N and BOD5 and the recirculation rates. With recirculation the pH value of the outflow decreases as the alkalinity is consumed by gradually enhanced nitrification process. When recirculation rate is kept constant 100%, the ambient temperature appears to affect NH4-N removal, but does not have significant influence on BOD5 removal.

Treatment and utilization of septic tank effluent using vertical-flow constructed wetlands and vegetable hydroponics

Vertical flow constructed wetlands is a typical ecological sanitation system for sewage treatment. The removal rates for COD, BOD 5, SS, TN, and TP were 60%, 80%, 74%, 49% and 79%, respectively, when septic tank effluent was treated by vertical flow filter. So the concentration of COD and BOD\-5 in the treated effluent could meet the quality standard for irrigation water. After that the treated effluent was used for hydroponic cultivation of water spinach and romaine lettuce, the removal efficiencies of the whole system for COD, BOD\-5, SS, TN and TP were 71 4%, 97 5%, 96 9%, 86 3%, and 87 4%, respectively. And it could meet the integrated wastewater discharge standard for secondary biological treatment plant. It was found that using treated effluent for hydroponic cultivation of vegetables could reduce the nitrate content in vegetables. The removal rates for total bacteria and coliform index by using vertical flow bed system with cinder substrate were 80%—90% and 85%—96%, respectively.

Performance evaluation of hybrid constructed wetlands for the treatment of municipal wastewater in developing countries

In developing countries,high cost of conventional wastewater treatment is a major hindrance in its application.Constructed wetlands(CWs)offer low-cost and effective solution to this issue.The current study aimed to evaluate an innovative maneuver of CWs i.e.hybrid flow constructed wetlands(HCWs)for municipal wastewater(MWW).The HCWs included two lab scale CWs;one horizontal and one vertical,in series.Local plant species were used.HCWs were operated in both,batch and continuous mode.Batch mode was used to(1)optimize detention time and(2)find pollutants removal efficiency.Continuous operation(at batch optimized retention time)was carried out for the evaluation of mass removal rate,r(g·m-2·d-1),volumetric rate constant,Kv(per day)and areal rate constant,Ka(m·d-1).Among two local plants tested,Pistia stratiotes gave better removal efficiency than Typha.Optimum detention time in HCWs was found to be 8 days(4+4 each).The optimum COD,BOD,TSS,TKN and P removal observed for Pistia stratiotes planted HCWs was 80%,84%,82%,71%and88%respectively.Effluent standards for COD,BOD and TSS were met at optimum conditions.The values of Kaand Kv demonstrated that more removal occurred in vertical flow as compared to horizontal flow CW.

Application of Constructed Wetlands on Wastewater Treatment for Aquaculture Ponds

A group of constructed wetlands （CWs） were applied to the recirculating aquaculture system. This study assessed the performance of CWs in treating the aquaculture wastewater, examined the water quality condition of aquaculture ponds and the growth and the survival rate of ＂target＂ species （Ictalurus punctatus and Megalobrama amblycephala）. The results showed that CWs were effective on reducing the concentrations of 5-day biochemical oxygen demand （BOD5, at 70.5%）, total suspended solids （TSS, at 81.9%）, chlorophyll a （Chl-a, at 91.9%）, ammonium （NH4^＋, at 61.5%） and nitrate nitrogen （NOa-N, at 68.0%）. Effect of CWs on phosphate （PO43 -P） removal was relatively lower （at 20.0%）. The concentrations of BODs, TSS, Chl-a, NH4^＋ and TN, TP in the recirculating culture pond were significantly lower than that in the control pond（ p〈0.05 ）. CWs could help to increase total yield, survival rate of the ＂target＂ species and significantly decrease feed conversion ratio （ p〈0.05 ）.

Performance of hybrid constructed wetland systems for treating septic tank effluent

The integrated wetland systems were constructed by combining horizontal-flow and vertical-flow bed, and their purification efficiencies for septic tank effluent were detected when the hydraulic retention time （HRT） was 1 d, 3 d, 5 d under different seasons. The results showed that the removal efficiencies of the organics, phosphorus were steady in the hybrid systems, but the removal efficiency of total nitrogen was not steady due to high total nitrogen concentration in the septic tank effluent. The average removal rates of COD （chemical oxygen demand） were 89%, 87%, 83%, and 86% in summer, autumn, winter and spring, respectively, and it was up to 88%, 85%, 73%, and 74% for BOD5 （5 d biochemical oxygen demand） removal rate in four seasons. The average removal rates of TP （total phosphorous） could reach up to 97%, 98%, 95%, 98% in four seasons, but the removal rate of TN （total nitrogen） was very low. The results of this study also indicated that the capability of purification was the worst in winter. Cultivating with plants could improve the treated effluent quality fTom the hybrid systems. The results of the operation of the horizontal-flow and vertical-flow cells （hybrid systems） showed that the removal efficiencies of the organics, TP and TN in horizontal-flow and vertical-flow cells were improved significantly with the extension of HRT under the same season. The removal rate of 3 d HRT was obviously higher than that of 1 d HRT, and the removal rate of 5 d HRT was better than that of 3 d HRT, but the removal efficiency was not very obvious with the increment of HRT. Therefore, 3 d HRT might be recommended in the actual operation of the hybrid systems for economic and technical reasons.

Application of a Stereo Constructed Wetland Mode to the Treatment of Slightly Polluted Source Water

[Objective] The study aimed to discuss the application of a stereo constructed wetland to the treatment of slightly polluted source water. [Method] In this study, a new stereo constructed wetland mode was put forward, and a pilot project of water ecological purification in Xinsheng River, the diversion channel of Shijiuyang Waterwork in Jiaxing City, were analyzed. Afterwards, the impact factors of water purification by the technology were discussed from water quality and quantity, season and climate, species configuration, management and maintenance. [Result] Under three different hydraulic loading conditions, the pilot project effectively improved water SD and DO level, and reduced SS, CODCr, NH3-N, TN and TP significantly in summer and autumn, so that effluent water quality reached surface water standard at Grade III. [Conclusion] The stereo constructed wetland mode composed of constructed wetland and underwater forest used to treat slightly polluted source water is feasible and has a good promotion prospect.

Greenhouse gas emissions from a constructed wetland for municipal sewage treatment

The fluxes of greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide) emission from a constructed wetland in the Eastern China as municipal sewage treatment were measured from June 1999 to August 2000 by the closed chamber method. The constructed wetland for municipal sewage treatment is a significant source of methane, up to 976 6×10 6 g CH 4/a, which was emitted from the constructed wetland with the area of 495000 m 2 and wastewater loading rate of 12000 m 3/d. Its daily mean methane flux reached 5 22 g CH 4/(m 2·d), 250 times as much as that in natural wetland in the same latitude region. 227 8 mg CH 4 was produced from the treatment of 1 liter wastewater, up to 700—1000 times as much as that in the secondary treatment. The emission of nitrous oxide from the constructed wetland is not higher than that from secondary treatment of wastewater, only 0 07 mgN 2O/L.

Effect of Different Factors on Nitrogen Removal Rate in Constructed Wetlands

Factors affecting total nitrogen(TN) removal rates in constructed wetland were investigated by intermittent operation in the subsurface flow(SSF) constructed wetland system.The results demonstrated that removal rates of TN increased with the rising of TN pollution load(1.40-12.40 g/m2) when the retention time was determined by 60% TN removal efficiency(n=180,p<0.05) in SSF wetlands.The maximum TN removal rate was 1.71 g/(m2·d) in SSF Phragmites australis-soil-slag system.TN removal rates were affected by total phosphorus load in case of higher TN load.TN removal rates in SSF Phragmites australis wetlands were greater than that in SSF Calamagrostis angustifolia wetlands at the same experimental cycle.Effect of wetland substrates on TN removal rates varied with the pollutants loading in SSF constructed wetland system,plant species and plant-growing period.

Optimization of Four Kinds of Constructed Wetlands Substrate Combination Treating Domestic Sewage

Based on the static and dynamic experiments, this paper has analyzed the adsorbing capacity for domestic wastewater pollutant （COD, NH4^＋-N and TP） of four kinds of constructed wetlands substrate which were fly ash, hollow brick crumbs, coal cinder and activated carbon pellets in single and combined condition. In the static experiments, the adsorbing capacity of four substrates all grew as the adsorbing dose increased. In adsorbing COD, each substrate＇s adsorbing capacity rises with the adsorbing dosage. Simultaneously, experiments show that all the adsorption of the four kinds of substrate for COD, NH4^＋-N and TP follows the Freundich Rule. The dynamic experiment demonstrated that the adsorbing capacity of combined substrates is bigger than that of single substrate. Fly ash in combination with small coal cinder adsorbs COD the best, while it takes in NH4^＋-N and TP the best when working with hollow brick crumbs. The combination of the two raises the removal rates up to 89% and 81% respectively. Given high cost and low adsorbing effect, activated carbon is not a suitable candidate for constructed wetlands substrate.

Modeling on Residence Time Distribution in Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands by Multi Flow Dispersion Model

As an important design factor for constructed wetlands,hydraulic retention time and its distribution will affect the treatment performance.Instantaneously injected sodium chloride tracers were used to obtain residence time distributions of the lab scale subsurface flow constructed wetland.Considering the presence of trailing and multiple peaks of the tracer breakthrough curve,the multi flow dispersion model(MFDM)was used to fit the experimental tracer breakthrough curves.According to the residual sum of squares and comparison between the experimental values and simulated values of the tracer concentration,MFDM could fit the residence time distribution(RTD)curve satisfactorily,the results of which also reflected the layered structure of wetland cells,thus to give reference for application of MFDM to the same kind of subsurface flow constructed wetlands.

Effects of Cd^(2+) and Pb^(2+) on the substrate biofilms in the integrated vertical-flow constructed wetland

The effects of single Cd^(2+)and Pb^(2+),and combined Cd^(2+)and Pb^(2+)on dehydrogenase activity and polysaccharide content of the substrate biofilms in the integrated vertical-flow constructed wetland(IVCW)were studied.Dehydrogenase activities decreased linearly with the increasing concentrations of Cd^(2+)and Pb^(2+)at different times(6,24,72,and 120 h).The activities at both 6 and 24 h were significantly higher than that at 72 and 120 h in the case of single and combined treatments.The single Cd^(2+)and...

Employing Constructed Wetlands to Sustainably Manage Nutrient-Bearing Water: A Review with an Emphasis on Soil Behavior and Effluent Nutrient Reduction

Constructed wetlands are engineered structures designed to simulate processes of natural wetlands to mitigate anthropogenic organic and inorganic materials to shelter soil and water resources. This review focuses on the global interest in constructed wetland application to sustain soil health and water quality and water abundance. Engineering criterion remains a function of nutrient chemistry and load with suitability factors including the local soil and hydrogeology constraints, climate, vegetation selection, the degree of required influent improvement, and reactor types and sizes. Future research needs to focus on: 1) reactor designs criteria, 2) the biology of the microbial community, 3) selection criteria for native vegetation, and 4) criteria to reapply treated water to foster land productivity, especially for region’s experiencing water deficiencies.

Distribution characteristics of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the Typha latifolia constructed wetlands using fluorescent in situ hybridization(FISH)

A molecular biology method, fluorescent in situ hybridization（FISH）, in which the pre-treatment was improved in allusion to the media of the constructed wetlands（CW）, e.g. the soil and the grit, was used to investigate the vertical distribution characteristics of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria（AOB） quantity and the relation with oxidation-reduction potential（ORP） in the Typha latifolia constructed wetlands under three different Ioadings in summer from May to September. Results showed that the quantity of the AOB decreased in the Typha latifolia CW with the increase of vertical depth. However, the AOB quantity was 2-4 times the quantity of the control in the root area. Additionally, ORP in the rhizosphere was found to be higher than other areas, which showed that Typha latifolia CW was in an aerobic state in summer when using simulated non-point sewage at the rural area of Taihu Lake in China and small town combined sewage.