Hybrid constructed wetlands for the treatment of wastewater from a fertilizer manufacturing plant: Microcosms and field scale experiments

Wastewater from a fertilizer manufacturing plant requires improvement prior to its environmental disposal. Ammonium is the critical contaminant to be removed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using free water surface wetlands (FWSWs), horizontal subsurface flow wetlands (HSSF...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Maine, Maria Alejandra, Sanchez, Gabriela Cristina, Hadad, Hernán Ricardo, Caffaratti, Sandra Ester, Pedro, María del Carmen, Mufarrege, María de Las Mercedes, Di Luca, Gisela Alfonsina
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/89454
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/89454
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:AMMONIUM
FREE WATER SURFACE WETLANDS
HORIZONTAL SUBSURFACE WETLANDS
INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER
REMOVAL EFFICIENCY
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:Wastewater from a fertilizer manufacturing plant requires improvement prior to its environmental disposal. Ammonium is the critical contaminant to be removed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using free water surface wetlands (FWSWs), horizontal subsurface flow wetlands (HSSFWs), and their combination in hybrid wetlands (HWs) for the final treatment of wastewater with high ammonium concentration from a fertilizer manufacturing plant. Substrates and macrophytes were evaluated in microcosm experiments during three months. There were no significant differences in contaminant removal among HSSFWs with LECA or FWSWs planted with Typha domingensis or Canna indica. In a second stage, two configurations of pilot-scale HWs were constructed at the manufacturing facilities. Configuration A: HSSFW(A1)-FWSW(A2) and Configuration B: FWSW(B1)-HSSFW(B2) were evaluated during 12 months. There were no significant differences in contaminant removal (%) between the two configurations of HWs for COD (A: 74.5 ± 12.2/B: 81.5 ± 9.4), ammonium (A: 59.5 ± 17.5/B: 57.9 ± 21.4), nitrite (A: 79.8 ± 24.2/B: 80.6 ± 16.8) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) (A: 59.4 ± 17.3/B: 50.3 ± 24.4). However, nitrate concentration (9.83 ± 3.11 mg N L−1) was significantly lower after Configuration A than after Configuration B (18.8 ± 5.2 mg N L−1). Comparing FWSWs and HSSFWs, they did not present significant differences in ammonium removal, while FWSWs presented the highest DIN removal. T. domingensis and C. indica in HSSFWs and T. domingensis in FWSWs tolerated wastewater conditions. T. domingensis presented the highest productivity. In further research, FWSWs in series planted with T. domingensis should be studied.