Abstract
Vertical partially saturated (VPS) constructed wetlands (CWs) are a novel wastewater treatment system for which little information is known about its design parameters and performance under tropical climates. The objective of this study is to evaluate the nitrogen removal process from domestic wastewater and the production of tropical ornamental plants (Canna hybrids and Zantedeschia aethiopica) in VPS CWs at a mesocosms scale. Nine VPS CWs, with a free-flow zone of 16 cm and a saturated zone of 16 cm, were used as experimental units. Three units were planted with Canna hybrids., and three, with Zantedeschia aethiopica (one plant per unit); the remaining three units were established as controls without vegetation. They were fed with domestic wastewater intermittently and evaluated for the elimination of COD, N-NH4, N-NO3, Norg, NT, and PT. The results showed an increase in the removal for some pollutants in the vegetated systems, i.e., N-NH4 (35%), Norg (16%), TN (25%), and TP (47%) in comparison to the unvegetated systems. While N-NO3 removal showed better removal in 10% of the systems without vegetation, no significant differences were found (p > 0.05) for COD removal. The aerobic and anaerobic conditions in the VPS CWs favor the elimination of pollutants in the systems, and also the development of the tropical species evaluated in this study; good development was exhibited by a high growth rate and biomass production.
Highlights
Nitrogen is a common pollutant present in wastewater around the planet [1,2,3]
In order to provide information on the design parameters and performance of these systems in tropical climate conditions, this study aims to evaluate the process of nitrogen removal present in domestic wastewater and the production of tropical ornamental plants (Canna hybrids and Zantedeschia aethiopica) in vertical partially saturated (VPS) constructed wetlands (CWs) at a mesocosm scale
Vertical partially saturated (VPS) CWs proved to be more efficient than free-flow vertical CW systems for nitrogen removal; an increase in nitrogen removal in the 20–30% range is reported in the literature; with the additional advantages of reducing space to reach the same percentages of elimination of pollutants achieved in combined vertical and horizontal subsurface flow CWs
Summary
Nitrogen is a common pollutant present in wastewater around the planet [1,2,3]. Its presence in a range of concentrations in wastewater that are discharged without treatment or poorly treated in surface aquatic bodies provokes negative impacts in aquatic ecosystems such as rivers and lakes [4].Nitrogen is one of the main pollutants responsible for eutrophication of surface waters that in turn reduces dissolved oxygen and endangers aquatic life. Nitrogen is a common pollutant present in wastewater around the planet [1,2,3]. Its presence in a range of concentrations in wastewater that are discharged without treatment or poorly treated in surface aquatic bodies provokes negative impacts in aquatic ecosystems such as rivers and lakes [4]. Nitrogen is one of the main pollutants responsible for eutrophication of surface waters that in turn reduces dissolved oxygen and endangers aquatic life. Nitrogen concentrations in surface water and groundwater bodies are difficult to regulate and control [5,6]. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 4800; doi:10.3390/ijerph16234800 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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