Reliability and Efficiency of Pollutant Removal in Four-Stage Constructed Wetland of SSVF-SSHF-SSHF-SSVF Type

Abstract

The present paper reports pollutant removal efficiencies and reliability for a four-stage hybrid constructed wetland (HCW) consisting of the following sequence of subsurface (SS), vertical flow (VF) and horizontal flow (HF) beds: SSVF-SSHF-SSHF-SSVF. The experiments were carried out over a period of three years, with sampling done in each season: winter, spring, summer and autumn. Grab samples of wastewater collected from different stages of treatment were tested for total suspended solids (TSS), BOD5, COD, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). The wetland was found to have a very high efficiency of removal of suspended solids and organics, with relatively little seasonal variability. The three-year average TSS removal efficiency was approximately 92.7%. The effectiveness of elimination of organic compounds was very high throughout the study period at 96.6% BOD5 and 95% COD. The effluent from the four-stage system had significantly lower contents of TN and TP compared to the wastewater discharged from the first two beds of this facility.