Abstract
The present research intended to investigate the toxicity abatement of domestic wastewater after passing a biosystem composed of a constructed wetland (CW) followed by a pond. The wastewater was generated in a tourism house in a rural and mountainous context and passed through a septic tank before being diverted to a CW followed by a pond. A battery of ecotoxicological tests, comprising microalgae (Raphidocelis subcapitata), macrophytes (Lemna minor), cladocerans (Daphnia magna), and bacteria (Aliivibrio fischeri), was used to assess the toxicity of the wastewater collected before and after the CW and the water of the pond. Physicochemical parameters (pH, conductivity, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, phosphates, ammonium, and nitrate) were also determined. The CW was able to remove carbon and nutrients from the water with a concomitant reduction of its toxicity. This study, reinforced the added value of using toxicity tests as a complement to CW operational monitoring to validate the solution and to analyze possible readjustments that may be required to improve efficiency. This study lends further support to the claim that CWs can be a sustainable solution for treating small volumes of domestic wastewater in a rural context.
Highlights
Constructed wetlands (CWs) are manmade systems for biological wastewater treatment that attempt to mimic natural wetlands in order to take advantage of the biological, physical, and chemical processes that occur there, which contribute to water depuration
Concerning the pH, it was similar for all samples, whereas the conductivity of water decreased after passing through the CW
This study clearly documented that CWs have the ability to decrease the toxicity of wastewaters from small tourism units, based on a battery of ecotoxicity tests with different organisms (D. magna, R. subcapitata, L. minor, and A. fischeri)
Summary
Constructed wetlands (CWs) are manmade systems for biological wastewater treatment that attempt to mimic natural wetlands in order to take advantage of the biological, physical, and chemical processes that occur there, which contribute to water depuration. They can operate under different climate conditions and have a wide range of applicability to different types of wastewater, ranging from industrial to domestic wastewater and stormwater [1,2,3]. CWs comprise several components, with plants, microorganisms, and the substrate influencing the performance of the whole system. CWs are characterized as inexpensive technological systems with low maintenance costs that are considered to be advantageous assets, especially if they
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
