Assessing the performance of constructed wetland for water quality management of a Southern Mediterranean river

Abstract

Most of Southern Mediterranean water courses suffer from numerous types of pollution. This study presents a comprehensive performance assessment of a pilot CW system for removing various contaminants from the Litani River, Lebanon. The physico‐chemical, pathogens and trace metal parameters were analyzed for river water as well as for the wetland effluent. Results revealed that the average removal efficiencies were 87.01% for COD, 64.99% for BOD5, 86.18% for TSS, 43.11% for NO3N, 34.82% for NH4N, 55.07% for PO4P and 73.05% for K. The removal efficiency of faecal coliforms was around 99.84%. Influent and effluent heavy metal pollution (Cu, Pb, As and Ni) concentrations greatly exceeded the range of the environmental limit values due to industrial emissions in river water. CWs seem to be a promising green technology for Lebanon for the reduction of bacterial contamination. Further studies are required to improve treatment modules for different pollutants, including metals.

Wetlands for wastewater treatment

“…Hayward, Jackson, Yost, Truelstrup Hansen, and Jamieson (2018) examined the seasonal impact on the performance of two Arctic tundra wetlands (Sanikiluaq and Naujaat) treating municipal wastewater and reported that E. coli reduction was higher in summer season (5 log reduction) when compared with spring season (0.04 log reduction). Abi Saab et al (2018) examined the efficiency of a CW on the removal of pathogens and showed that the highest removal of TC (99.98% removal), FC (99.84% removal), E. coli (96.51% removal), and Salmonella (100% removal) was observed in the months of April and May.…”

Phytoremediation of Lebanese polluted waters: a review of current initiatives

“…A constructed wetland was established in 2013 by Litani River Basin Management Support (USAID/LRBMS) and the Litani River Authority in the Upper Litani River, Kherbit Kanafar in the southern plains of the Bekaa Valley [26,48,49]. Directly adjacent to the Litani River, this wetland is covering an area of 2.6 ha located within the south Bekaa irrigation scheme.…”

“…Similarly, higher improvement levels with dissolved oxygen (DO) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) both of which witnessing changes by around 25% and 66%, respectively. Abi Saab et al [49] revealed an increase in the removal efficiency of most pollutants (about 80 %) emphasizing the importance of the wetland plants in the removal of pollutants including nutrients, pathogens and trace elements.…”

How Waterlogged Conditions Influence the Nitrogen Dynamics in a Soil–Water–Plant System: Implications for Wetland Restoration

“…The rapid development of society and intensification in agriculture has improved living standards but also caused various water-related issues, especially pollution and the degradation of wetland ecosystems [1][2][3]. Moreover, conditions are worsening in developing economies due to the integrated effect of anthropogenic activities, escalating demand of resources, and population explosion [4].…”