Abstract
The production of both aboveground and belowground plant biomass in constructed wetlands (CW) is a poorly understood topic, although vegetation plays an important role in the process of pollutant removal from wastewater. The objective of this study was to evaluate the aboveground and belowground biomass production of Typha latifolia and Canna hybrids in a large-scale constructed wetland treating swine wastewater in tropical climates. Parameters, such as temperature, DO, pH, COD, TSS, TN, TP, and TC, as well as destructive and non-destructive biomass, were evaluated. It was found that, despite the high concentrations of pollutants, the vegetation adapted easily and also grew healthily despite being exposed to high concentrations of pollutants from swine water. Although Typha latifolia (426 plants) produced fewer plants than Canna hybrids (582 plants), the higher biomass of the Typha latifolia species was slightly higher than that of Canna hybrids by 5%. On the other hand, the proximity of the water inlet to the system decreased the capacity for the development of a greater number of seedlings. As for the elimination of pollutants, after treatment in the constructed wetland, COD: 83.6 ± 16.9%; TSS: 82.2 ± 17.7%; TN: 94.4 ± 15.8%; TP: 82.4 ± 23.2%; and TC: 94.4 ± 4.4% were significantly reduced. These results show that wetlands constructed as tertiary systems for the treatment of swine wastewater produce a large amount of plant biomass that significantly helps to reduce the concentrations of pollutants present in this type of water in tropical areas. The use of these plants is recommended in future wetland designs to treat swine wastewater.
Highlights
IntroductionConstructed wetlands (CWs) are eco-treatment technologies that have gained popularity due to their low cost, easy operation, and zero energy costs in solving water pollution problems of domestic, industrial, and agricultural origin [1,2]
Vegetation is one of the components of constructed wetlands (CW) that plays a very important role in the system [9], since it has three main functions: the first is that it absorbs pollutants and favors their elimination [10], the second is that it provides oxygen through the release in the radical zone [11], and the third is hydraulic, which is intensified in CWs with horizontal
Typha latifolia (300 plants of 15 cm in height) and the remaining 10 m closer to the CW outlet were planted with Canna hybrids (300 plants of 10 cm in height), which were obtained in their natural state in the central zone of the state of Veracruz, Mexico
Summary
Constructed wetlands (CWs) are eco-treatment technologies that have gained popularity due to their low cost, easy operation, and zero energy costs in solving water pollution problems of domestic, industrial, and agricultural origin [1,2]. Their components and performance are well known and widely studied [3,4], including hydraulic retention times [5,6,7], substrates ranging from petrified materials to recyclable waste [8]. These functions are affected or favored in the selection of plants
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