Evaluation of the simultaneous removal of organic matter, nitrogen and suspended solids in a SSHF constructed wetland in Capinha, Portugal

Comparing with other countries there is still a lack of experience in applied constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment in Portugal. Among all Mediterranean countries only France and Italy established the guidelines on Constructed Wetlands (CWs). In most of those countries as well as in Portugal there are no specific regulations and design criteria of CWs for the treatment of wastewater [1]. Most of the CWs applied in Mediterranean countries were designed basing on northern countries experience; therefore there is a great need to establish regulations suitable for warm climate conditions. Additionally, the extending popularity of CW systems and a need to make more researches is forced by the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) and Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EEC), which set the goals to achieve certain standards of discharge water in Europe by the 2015 year. The advantages of CWs application in Portugal are unquestionable: low energy and maintenance requirements, low cost and appropriateness for domestic wastewater treatment for small and rural communities. Moreover, the land availability and temperature are not the limiting factors. As almost 25% of 5 Mirosława Arendacz, Hanna Obarska-Pempkowiak, Antonio Albuquerque, Maria Correia, Miguel Borges the population of central Portugal lives in small and rural agglomerations CWs seem to be very attractive solution. The majority of constructed wetlands in Portugal are designed as surface horizontal flow systems for secondary treatment of municipal and domestic sewage [2, 3]. There is very little date on the treatment efficiency of CWs in Portugal so far, however it had been reported that they show good performance in terms of BOD5 , TSS and lower effectiveness for total P and N removal. High capacity to remove low concentration of organic substances was also observed [2]. Data obtained on the treatment efficiency of CWs in Mediterranean countries also proved good potential of CWs to organic removal (COD, BOD5, and TSS) as well as to ammonia removal, which enabled meeting discharge criteria set by governments [1]. The survey conducted for CWs in Spain reported that the loadings applied for horizontal flow systems were in range of 0.8÷20.3 g BOD5 /m2day and 3÷17 g TSS/ m2day [4]. Data obtained in Spain showed that the average load applied to horizontal flow constructed wetlands is higher that ones cited in the literature and proved that those systems perform very well in terms of organic matter removal comparing to the other European countries [4]. This conclusion could also apply to Portugal due to similar climate conditions, close localization and similar regulations and criteria taken into account for sizing. However, more accurate data must be provided in order to approve it and to establish the most guidelines criteria. The objective of the paper was to evaluate the performance of the subsurface horizontal flow (SSHF) submerged constructed wetland in Capinha, located in the central Portugal, mostly in terms of organic matter (COD), nitrogen forms (total N, ammonia and nitrate) and suspended solids (TSS). The aim of the work was also to study the effect of loads on the removal of above pollutants.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS OF CONSTRUCTED WETLAND FOR LANDFILL LEACHATE TREATMENT: CASE STUDY

The present paper discusses the quality fluctuations of leachate from municipal landfill in Gdansk (Poland) over the last 5 years and the evaluation of a wetland system designed for treatment of the leachate. The research has been conducted during a 5-year period. The constructed wetland for leachate treatment was built in 2001; it consists of 2 horizontal subsurface flow reed beds, working in parallel. In the period 2005–2006 it underwent modernization due to unsatisfactory treatment results caused by bed clogging. After the modernization the treatment effectiveness is satisfactory. The effluent from bed I met Polish outflow standards, while in the effluent from bed II COD, total N and TSS exceeded the required concentrations. In spite of this, pre-treatment of leachate (iron removal) should be quickly introduced to protect the system against the reoccurrence of clogging problems

PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR TREATMENT WETLAND APPLICATION FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT IN DISPERSED DEVELOPMENT

The aim of the paper is to present the conducted analyses of pre-feasibility study of different approaches for wastewater management in a settlement of 180 persons. In the assessment both technical and economic aspects were analyzed. The costs were calculated for three different and, at the same time, most popular as well as possible technical solutions like: (i) construction of local wastewater treatment plant with gravitational and pressurized networks, (ii) construction of single family wastewater treatment plants, (iii) construction of sealed septic tanks. Carried out analyses of investment and maintenance costs revealed that at the stage of construction the most expensive is local sewer network with treatment plant, while the construction of a single family treatment plant has similar cost regardless of the technology used. When the long term operation and investment cost are accounted the most economical reasonable solution is the application of wetland treatment for household wastewater treatment

Towards Recommendations for Design of Wetlands for Post-Tertiary Treatment of Waste Water in the Baltic Sea Region – Gdańsk Case Study

There are many challenges that need to be addressed if the far reaching objectives on high environmental status as required in the EU Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive will be met in the Baltic Sea Region within the next decade. For wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) this implies, in spite of the many improvements made during the last decade, development and introduction of new technology to further reduce eutrophying compounds, hazardous chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Constructed wetlands when properly designed and operated have been shown to be robust systems with low energy requirements that may not only reduce many types of pollutants but may also provide many additional ecosystem services beyond requirements generally imposed by authorities. For example, they may support and enhance biodiversity and be used to convert brownfield areas in urban landscapes to recreational areas. Reduced cost is possible if treated water is reused in industry or for irrigation. In a project, supported by the Swedish Institute, a group of scientists, a water company and water using industry has together with local authorities through workshops, field studies and literature studies worked on finding a general first recommendation on design and operation. In this paper we will present the scientific rational and legal constraints for the general design and operation of a wetland system for post-tertiary treatment of waste water from WWTPs using Gdańsk as an example. The proposal includes a first part, which mainly will be focusing on pollutant and pathogen removal using particle traps and a HSSF wetland on land owned by the WWTP and a second part consisting of a FWS wetland which, in addition to further polishing the water, will enhance biodiversity and provide recreational areas on derelict land owned by the city.Financial support: Swedish InstituteWETEFF: Towards recommendation for design, operation and monitoring of constructed wetlands for treatment of effluent from waste water treatment plants in the Baltic Sea Regio

Integrated information and prediction Web Service WaterPUCK General concept

In this paper, general concept of a new method as ‘Integrated information and prediction Web Service WaterPUCK’ for investigation influence of agricultural holdings and land-use structures on coastal waters of the southern Baltic Sea is presented. WaterPUCK Service is focused on determination of the current and future environmental status of the surface water and groundwater located in the Puck District (Poland) and its impact on the Bay of Puck (the southern Baltic Sea) environment. It will highly desired tool for land-use and environment management. WaterPUCK combines several different components and methods such as retrospective analyses of existing monitoring data sets, in situ measures and the application of various models to estimate main mechanisms and threats responsible for the pollution transport from the agricultural holdings and land-use structure to the surface and groundwater and potential predictability of environment change of the Puck District and the Bay of Puck ecosystem. WaterPUCK Service will integrate several models, such as a surface water model based on SWAT, a groundwater flow model based on MODFLOW, a 3D-ecohydrodynamic model of the Bay of Puck called EcoPuckBay and an agriculture calculator called CalcGosPuck. The WaterPUCK Service is constructed as part of the project with the same name ‘WaterPUCK’

Integrated information and prediction Web Service WaterPUCK General concept

In this paper, general concept of a new method as ‘Integrated information and prediction Web Service WaterPUCK’ for investigation influence of agricultural holdings and land-use structures on coastal waters of the southern Baltic Sea is presented. WaterPUCK Service is focused on determination of the current and future environmental status of the surface water and groundwater located in the Puck District (Poland) and its impact on the Bay of Puck (the southern Baltic Sea) environment. It will highly desired tool for land-use and environment management. WaterPUCK combines several different components and methods such as retrospective analyses of existing monitoring data sets, in situ measures and the application of various models to estimate main mechanisms and threats responsible for the pollution transport from the agricultural holdings and land-use structure to the surface and groundwater and potential predictability of environment change of the Puck District and the Bay of Puck ecosystem. WaterPUCK Service will integrate several models, such as a surface water model based on SWAT, a groundwater flow model based on MODFLOW, a 3D-ecohydrodynamic model of the Bay of Puck called EcoPuckBay and an agriculture calculator called CalcGosPuck. The WaterPUCK Service is constructed as part of the project with the same name ‘WaterPUCK’