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An Analytical Solution to Model Aquaculture Wetlands Subject to Intermittent Loading and Variable Initial Concentrations

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Abstract

Constructed wetlands are increasingly being used to treat intermittent releases of wastewaters from aquaculture ponds. Most constructed wetland design protocols are based on steady-state releases and as such are incapable of characterizing transient pollutant distribution arising from intermittent releases. Given the seasonal nature of aquaculture operations, the constructed wetland has to be developed using water from other nearby sources (termed as fill water in this study). In some instances, the pollutant concentrations in the fill water are noted to be greater than that measured in the aquaculture ponds. Also, the pollutants in the wetland may exhibit spatial variability due to geochemical interactions with wetland soils. These effects cannot be captured with existing steady-state design schemes. A mathematical model based on the tanks-in-series conceptualization is developed to overcome the aforementioned limitations. An analytical solution for multiple intermittent releases and spatially varying initial concentrations is obtained using Laplace transform and superposition techniques. The utility of the developed model is illustrated using an example based after a constructed wetland at the Loma Alta Shrimp Aquaculture Facility (LASAF) in South Texas. The developed model captures the extremely nonlinear relationship between the maximum discharge concentration and the hydraulic residence time. For the conditions assumed in this study, the extent of mixing is not of major concern when the spacing between the loadings is greater than 0.75 times the hydraulic residence time (HRT). Model results also suggest that the wetland should be oriented in a manner such that the internal geochemical production of the pollutant, if any, is near the inlet.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Kim Jones and two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful review of the manuscript. The suggestion to solve subsequent tanks using simpler ODE solution schemes without resorting to Laplace transforms by one of the reviewer greatly enhanced the understandability of the model and is highly appreciated. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant no. HRD-0206529. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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  1. MSC 213, Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, 78363, USA

    Venkatesh Uddameri

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  1. Venkatesh Uddameri
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Correspondence to Venkatesh Uddameri.

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Uddameri, V. An Analytical Solution to Model Aquaculture Wetlands Subject to Intermittent Loading and Variable Initial Concentrations. Environ Model Assess 15, 27–35 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-009-9189-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-009-9189-3

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