Abstract:With the recent development of constructed wetland technology, it has become a mainstream treatment technology for the mitigation of a variety of wastewaters. This study reports on the treatment performance and pH attenuation capacity of three different configurations of small-scale on-site surface flow constructed wetlands (SFCW): T1 (Peat + Typha latifolia), T2 (T. latifolia alone), and T3 (Peat alone) treating secondary effluent from the Amherstview Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) for two treatment periods (start-up period and operational period). The aim of this study was to compare the nutrients removal efficiencies between the different treatments, as well as to evaluate the effects of substrate and vegetation on the wetland system. For a hydraulic retention time of 2.5 days, the results showed that all treatment systems could attenuate the pH level during both the start-up and operational periods, while significant nutrient removal performance could only be observed during the operational period. Peat was noted to be a better SFCW substrate in promoting the removal of nitrate (NO 3 -N), total nitrogen (TN), and phosphorus. The addition of T. latifolia further enhanced NO 3 -N and TN removal efficiencies, but employing T. latifolia alone did not yield effluents that could meet the regulatory discharge limit (1.0 mg/L) for phosphorus.

Waste stabilization ponds (WSPs), as part of municipal wastewater treatment strategies, can exhibit variability in performance due to climatic conditions. Under elevated temperature and strong solar radiation, algal blooms and subsequent high pH effluents have often been observed. In this study, four substrates (gravel, peat, organic mulch, and topsoil) were evaluated for their ability to attenuate high pH effluents from a WSP. Synthetic wastewater with pH > 9.5, and low organic and nutrient loadings, was used to mimic algal-induced high pH effluents in 72 L rectangular bench-scale superficial constructed wetland configuration reactors. Peat exhibited the highest attenuation ability, where the effluent pH decreased substantially from 10.3 to 7.7, primarily due to its high organic contents. Peat also removed 53.7% of the influent total phosphorus, which could effectively limit algal growth. No statistically significant differences were discovered among gravel, topsoil, and organic mulch in terms of pH attenuation. Topsoil and organic mulch both have a relatively high alkalinity, making them ideal to maintain consistent pH levels. However, naturally high chemical oxygen demand levels in organic mulch raised concerns in the leaching of these compounds into the treated wastewater, making it less appealing for systems with low organic loading.