Performance of different substrates in constructed wetlands planted with E. crassipes treating low-strength sewage under subtropical conditions

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2018-07, Vol.630, p.1365-1373
• Main Authors: Lima, M.X., Carvalho, K.Q., Passig, F.H., Borges, A.C., Filippe, T.C., Azevedo, J.C.R., Nagalli, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetylsalicylic acid; Clay bricks; Light expanded clay aggregates; Phosphorus adsorption; Synthetic wastewater
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.342

The present study aimed to assess removal potential of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), total phosphorus (TP) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in synthetic wastewater simulating low-strength sewage by sequencing-batch mode constructed wetlands (CWs). Six CWs with three substrates (gravel, light expanded clay and clay bricks) and one CW of each substrate was planted with E. crassipes to verify the feasibility of using a floating macrophyte in CWs and verify the best optimized substrate. Results showed that the presence of E. crassipes enhanced the removal of COD for systems with gravel, increasing the removal efficiency from 37% in the unplanted system (CWG-U) to 60% in the planted system (CWG-P). The vegetated CW with clay bricks (CWB-P) presented the best performance for both TKN and TAN removal, with maximum removal efficiencies of 68% and 35%, respectively. Phosphorus was observed to be efficiently removed in systems with clay bricks, both planted (CWB-U) and unplanted (CWB-P), with mean removal efficiencies of 82% and 87%, respectively, probably via adsorption. It was also observed that after 296days of operation, no desorption or increase on phosphorus in effluent samples were observed, thus indicating that the material was not yet saturated and phosphorus probably presents a strong binding to the media. ASA removal efficiency varied from 34% to 92% in CWs, probably due to plant uptake through roots and microbial biodegradation. Plant direct uptake varied from 4 to 74% of the total nitrogen and from 26 to 71% of the total phosphorus removed in CWG-P, CWC-P and CWB-P. E. crassipes was able to uptake up to 4.19g of phosphorus in CWC-P and 11.84g of nitrogen in CWB-P. The findings on this study suggest that E. crassipes could be used in CWs and clay bricks could significantly enhance phosphorus removal capacity in CWs. [Display omitted] •Light expanded clay and clay bricks as substrates in alterative to gravel•The use of water hyacinth fixed onto substrates in sequencing-batch mode CWs•E. crassipes uptake of nutrients was the main process in CW with gravel and LECA.•Adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus onto clay bricks was relevant.