Evaluation of Wastewater Treatment by Microcosms of Vertical Subsurface Wetlands in Partially Saturated Conditions Planted with Ornamental Plants and Filled with Mineral and Plastic Substrates

Abstract

The current knowledge about the role terrestrial ornamental plants play in constructed wetlands (CWs) has scarcely been evaluated. Likewise, little attention has been given towards the use of new support or fill media for subsurface flow CWs, which may result in the reduction of costs when implemented on a large scale. This study evaluated, during nine months, the effect of three terrestrial ornamental plants and two substrates on the elimination of pollutants in wastewaters by using fill-and-drain vertical subsurface flow CWs (FD-CWs). Sixteen microcosms were used, nine filled with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and nine with porous river stone (PRS). For each type of substrate, duplicates of microcosms were used, utilizing Anthurium sp., Zantedeschia aethiopica, and Spathiphyllum wallisii as vegetation and two other CWs without vegetation as controls. The environmental conditions, number of flowers, and height of the plants were registered. The results revealed that both substrates in the FD-CWs were efficient in removing pollutants. The average removal of pollutants in systems with vegetation revealed a positive effect on the reduction of the biochemical oxygen demand (55–70%), nitrates (28–44%), phosphates (25–45%), and fecal coliforms (52–65%). Meanwhile, in units without vegetation, the reduction of pollutants was nearly 40–50% less than in those with vegetation. The use of PET as a filling substrate in CWs did not affect the growth and/or the flowering of the species; therefore, its use combined with the species studied in CWs may be replicated in villages with similar wastewater problems. This may represent a reduction in implementation costs when utilizing PET recycled wastes and PRS as substrates in these systems in comparison with the typical substrates used in CWs. More studies are needed to better understand the interactions among these novel support media and the commercial terrestrial ornamental plants.

Effect of Ornamental Plants, Seasonality, and Filter Media Material in Fill-and-Drain Constructed Wetlands Treating Rural Community Wastewater

“…By having different ornamental plants in the CWs, the treatment system will be more attractive aesthetically and the function of the removal of pollutants is active. In another study with ornamental plants (Zantedeschia aethiopica and Alpinia purpurata) growing in CWs, the biomass production was similar to the findings in this study [26,27]. However, using plants of natural wetlands (Typha spp., Juncus sp.…”

Design, Operation and Optimization of Constructed Wetland for Removal of Pollutant

“…Meanwhile, in units without vegetation, the reduction of pollutants was nearly 40–50% less than in those with vegetation. The use of PET as a filling substrate in CWs did not affect the growth and/or the flowering of the species [ 50 ].…”

Use of tropical macrophytes in wastewater treatment

“…The system operates with a 2-d hydraulic retention time, constantly supplying the system with 31.5 m 3 d 1 . It is made up of 7 cells as a treatment train filled with three different substrates: 1) stone material with a 70% porous surface; 2) inert material with 80% porosity (Sandoval et al, 2019a), and 3) calcareous material.…”