Attenuation of erythromycin-laden waste water using the constructed wetland technique

Abstract

Erythromycin (ERY) is environmentally resilient because of its aromatic nature, which hinders degradation. In the present study, silty–sandy soil, with a saturated hydraulic conductivity (K) value of 1.66 × 10−7 m/s, was studied for its potential to remove aqueous ERY using a laboratory-scale constructed wetland. With a dose of 10 g/l, a concentration of 25 mg/l and a contact time of 30 min, the maximum adsorption reached 89.79 ± 1.5%, as found from batch experiments. The Freundlich isotherm (R2= 0.983, n = 0.575, Kf= 0.04 mg/g) was the best fitting among different user models. In the kinetic study, the pseudo-second-order model (qe= 1.297 mg/g, K2= 0.182 g/(mg min)) had the best fit with experimental data. A one-dimensional vertical column study exhibited an exhaustion time of 2.7 days for a 40 mm deep soil bed to remove ERY. A laboratory-scale constructed wetland model composed of silty–sandy soil showed a reduction of ERY of 92.44%. Finally, the results were validated with the CW2D wetland model of the Hydrus software, which corroborated the experimental results. The outcome exhorts that constructed wetlands with silty–sandy soil may be an effective technique for the reduction of ERY present in waste water, which has profound importance from a social health perspective.