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Study of a Novel Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland System with Drop Aeration for Rural Wastewater Treatment

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Abstract

Constructed wetlands are recognized as a reliable technology for rural wastewater treatment. However, conventional constructed wetlands face problems with low pollutant removal efficiency and limited oxygen transfer capability. Therefore, a novel vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) system with drop aeration was developed in this study. Two pilot-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands of 0.75 m2 each were constructed with the same dimensions and configuration but different media, one of which (named as CW1) was filled with a 1:1 mixture (by weight) of zeolite and dolomite and the other (named as CW2) with the same zeolite only. The oxygen transfer capability of a multilevel two-layer drop aeration device, organics and nitrogen removal of CW1 and CW2, and pollutant distribution along the depths of CW1 and CW2 in different operational phases were studied. The results demonstrated that compared with the direct drop aeration process, the multilevel, two-layer drop aeration device supplied 2–6 mg/L higher dissolved oxygen per meter of drop height, and after installation of the six-level, two-layer drop aeration devices, the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand removal load was improved from 8.1 to 14.2 g m−2 day−1 for CW1. With regard to the different filter media, nitrogen removal was improved by the adsorption of zeolite in the first year, with 5–36% higher NH +4 –N removal efficiency of CW2 compared with that in CW1. Since it did not have a significant positive effect on phosphate removal, dolomite can be replaced by zeolite. The chemical oxygen demand removal mainly took place in the upper 15-cm filter layer in different operational phases, while nitrogen distribution along the depths of the VFCWs was different in different operational phases. In addition, as no operational problems occurred, the vertical flow constructed wetland system with drop aeration is an appropriate alternative for rural wastewater treatment, with numerous advantages of low capital and operation costs, no energy consumption, easy maintenance, high hydraulic loading rate, high pollutant removal efficiency, and no clogging.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2008ZX07101-006-3) and Knowledge Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences of young talents (no. RCEES-QN-2007xx).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Juan Zou, Xuesong Guo, Yunping Han, Junxin Liu & Hanwen Liang

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  1. Juan Zou
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  2. Xuesong Guo
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  3. Yunping Han
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  4. Junxin Liu
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  5. Hanwen Liang
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Correspondence to Junxin Liu.

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Zou, J., Guo, X., Han, Y. et al. Study of a Novel Vertical Flow Constructed Wetland System with Drop Aeration for Rural Wastewater Treatment. Water Air Soil Pollut 223, 889–900 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-011-0910-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-011-0910-x

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