Subsurface flow constructed wetlands for the treatment of wastewater from different sources. Design and operation

The aim of the thesis is to examine the viability of the subsurface constructed wetlands for the treatment of wastewater derived from three different sources (treatment ponds, pig farms and car wash facilities), and to evaluate the influence of design (size, type and depth of media, presence of Phragmites australis) and operational parameters (hydraulic load, dosing and feeding modes) on treatment efficiency and hydraulic behavior. Several studies were done in the framework of different national and European R+D projects in 4 study sites. The viability of constructed wetlands with vertical and/or horizontal subsurface flow to treat the effluent from wastewater treatment pond systems (facultative and tertiary ponds) for discharge or reuse was evaluated in two municipal wastewater treatment plants, one in Aurignac (France) and the other in Santa Eugenia (Mallorca, Spain). The evaluation of the viability of hybrid subsurface flow constructed wetlands to treat swine slurry for land application or discharge in water bodies was performed in small farm was Can Corominas located in Viver i Serrateix (Barcelona, Spain). Finally, the viability of vertical and horizontal flow constructed wetlands to treat the effluent from car wash facilities for recycling was evaluated at a car wash station located in Montfulla (Girona, Spain), using an infiltration-percolation system as reference. A monitoring of the water quality (physicochemical and microbiological parameters) and the filters’ hydraulic (monitoring of flows, infiltration rates and tracer tests experiments) were performed. The main outcome of the thesis is the viability of the application of different configurations of subsurface flow constructed wetlands to treat the effluents from a wastewater treatment pond, a pig farm, and a car wash facility, once design and operation have been optimized. Subsurface flow constructed wetlands have shown resilience to load and hydraulic fluctuations, to new pollutants and to variable environmental conditions; being simple to operate and maintain with null or minimum energy requirements and with an added aesthetical value. From the case studies several points can be indicated as main conclusions. Paying special attention to the pond effluent study, it was characterised by a large quantity of algae and a high effluent variability that mainly depends temperature and solar irradiation. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of vertical and horizontal flow constructed wetlands to upgrade pond effluent quality by retaining algae and suspended solids, completing organic matter degradation, and nitrifying the pond effluent in the case of vertical flow and partially removing total nitrogen in the case of horizontal flow. The filtering media size (sand or gravel) was the key parameter for algae retention. The presence of plants did not significantly affect the filter performance. The filtering media size (sand or gravel) was the key parameter for algae retention. The removal of microbial indicators depended mainly on the water retention time in the filter, which in turn depended on the media granulometry and hydraulic load, and on the depth of the filter and the dose volume per batch. The swine slurry presented high concentrations of suspended solids, organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorous, with high variability depending. The high ammonia contents interfered with the growth of Phragmites australis, while the high concentration of suspended solids and organic matter also limited the type of subsurface flow constructed wetland to be implemented. The hybrid configuration, which combines vertical and horizontal flow constructed wetlands, had a dual function for simultaneous solid-liquid separation and biological treatment. Removal of organic matter and suspended solids was very high, while the overall nitrogen load removal was around 65%, due to the combined nitrification/denitrification processes. The maximum number of feeding days was a key factor to avoid clogging. Some of the contaminants were retained and mineralised in the surface deposit layer of the vertical flow filter, increasing around 20 cm each year. Finally, car wash effluent had a high concentration of inorganic suspended solids, very variable concentrations of E. coli and organic matter, low concentrations of nutrients, and the presence of hydrocarbons, fats and oils and non-ionic surfactants. The three technologies evaluated performed very efficiently with respect to turbidity, organic material, and suspended solids. Non-ionic detergents, hydrocarbons, fats and oils were also completely removed, but their concentrations in the influent were already very low. E. coli was also removed to acceptable limits for recycling, with concentrations lower than the limits established in the Royal Decree guidelines for reuse in Spain. The oil and fats contents of the car wash effluents as well as the inorganic suspended solids made pre-treatment necessary in order to avoid media clogging. The low concentrations of nutrients resulted in a slow growth of Phragmites australis especially in horizontal flow constructed wetlands.