Comparative Efficiency of Two Different Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment of Small Populations in Mediterranean Continental Climate

Alejandro Acero-Oliete, Pedro Luis López-Julián, Beniamino Russo and Oscar Ruiz-Lozano
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Alejandro Acero-Oliete: Group of Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering (GIHA), Technical College of La Almunia (EUPLA), University of Zaragoza, La Almunia, 50100 Zaragoza, Spain
Pedro Luis López-Julián: Group of Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering (GIHA), Technical College of La Almunia (EUPLA), University of Zaragoza, La Almunia, 50100 Zaragoza, Spain
Beniamino Russo: Group of Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering (GIHA), Technical College of La Almunia (EUPLA), University of Zaragoza, La Almunia, 50100 Zaragoza, Spain
Oscar Ruiz-Lozano: Group of Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering (GIHA), Technical College of La Almunia (EUPLA), University of Zaragoza, La Almunia, 50100 Zaragoza, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: The treatment of wastewater from small towns supposes problems of economic efficiency, leading to very high environmental costs in areas with low population density. Constructed wetlands (CW) seems to be the more suitable solution for this kind of situation, but further investigations are needed regarding their efficiency under different climatic conditions. This work presents the results concerning urban wastewater treatment by means of two different constructed wetlands using macrophytes: horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) and free water surface (FWS). The systems are located in a Mediterranean continental climate area and are fed by a by-pass at the entrance of a wastewater treatment plant. A four-year sampling campaign at the outlet of the CW allowed verifying their relative effectiveness in removing pollutants in the different seasons of the year. BOD 5 , COD, and TSS were significantly removed (with average reductions of 55%, 60%, and 57%, respectively) by these natural phytodepuration systems, with HSSF being more efficient during plants’ dormancy than FWS, but the concentrations of nutrients indicated that cumulative effects occur in CW with the need of adequate annual maintenance. It was found that the main factors controlling the efficiency of such systems throughout the year are the period of vegetative development, the presence/absence of a solid substrate, and the pollutant load of the wastewater inlet.

Keywords: constructed wetlands; wastewater treatment; small populations; phytodepuration; macrophytes; bulrush (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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