Treatment of Wastewater in the Rhizosphere of Wetland Plants – The Root-Zone Method

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 107-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Brix

The present paper describes the theoretical basis of wastewater treatment in the rhizosphere of wetland plants, the so-called “root-zone method”, along with the first working experiences from eight treatment plants in Denmark. Mechanically treated wastewater is led horizontally through the rhizosphere of wetland plants. During the passage of the wastewater through the rhizosphere, the wastewater is cleaned by microbiological degradation and by physical/chemical processes. The wetland plants supply oxygen to the heterotrophic microorganisms in the rhizosphere and stabilize the hydraulic conductivity of the soil. Nitrogen is removed by denitrification and phosphorus and heavy metals are bound in the soil. The first working experiences from Denmark show, that as far as BOD is concerned root-zone treatment plants are very nearly up to conventional secondary treatment standards already from the first growing season (removal efficiency: 51-95%). For the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus the results vary (total-N removal: 10-88%; total-P removal: 11-94%). The removal efficiencies depended mainly on the composition of the soils and the degree of surface runoff in each treatment plant. It is concluded that root-zone treatment plants seem to be a viable alternative to conventional wastewater treatment technology, especially suitable for single households and small to medium sized communities. There is, however, still very little information on the removal processes for nitrogen (denitrification), on the effect of soil type and on the required surface area to load ratio,

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Brix

Up to the present time documentation for the functioning of the root-zone method is almost exclusively based on data from the Othfresen plant in Western Germany, a 22.5 ha large wetland, which since 1974 has received municipal wastewater. The present paper describes the working experiences from Othfresen, and evaluates the applicability of the data from Othfresen as basis for the scientific documentation of the root-zone method in general. It is concluded that the data from Othfresen are useless in the documentation of the root-zone method for the following reasons: (a) The loaded area has not until 1985 been well-defined, (b) the soil in the treatment plant is very atypical (old mine debris), (c) a major proportion of the wastewater does not penetrate the soil, but distributes on the surface as overland flow, (d) the quality of the water in the “defined” outlet, i.e. a well consisting of a PVC-tube, has no relation to the treatment of wastewater in the area, and (e) the true effluent to the recipient is of varying quality, especially as far as nitrogen is concerned. It is therefore necessary to await results from well-controlled experimental treatment plants before the functioning and the applicability of the root-zone method can be properly evaluated.


1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Bahre ◽  
W. Firk ◽  
M. Gassen

The report describes low-cost development and design of a two-stage wastewater treatment plant for 90,000 PE to achieve the highest possible degree of phosphorus and nitrogen elimination. The receiving water body of the treatment plant is a small watercourse fed almost exclusively by treated wastewater. A significant improvement in the water quality of this watercourse is planned. In particular, the performance of the wastewater treatment plant will need to be enhanced. The plant operator, the Erft River Board, organized a competition to attract solutions for an appropriate development of the plant from several consultants. Apart from embodying the concept of extensive wastewater treatment, designs were expected to preserve the existing infrastructure of the two-stage treatment plant as far as possible. Following selection of the most suitable design, the intended process technology is currently being tested in a pilot-scale plant. Planning envisages advanced wastewater treatment processes, including enhanced biological phosphorus removal, chemical precipitation/flocculation, nitrification and denitrification and combined coagulation/filtration. The pilot-scale investigations are carried out in close co-operation between the water authorities, the plant operators, the consultant, and a university institute of sanitary engineering. The paper presents the design and first results of the pilot-scale investigations in terms of the parameters BOD5, COD, phosphorus, ammonia and nitrate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-27
Author(s):  
Lesiia Vovk ◽  
◽  
Oksana Matsiyevska ◽  
Oleh Zhdanov ◽  
◽  
...  

Wastewater from human settlements contains a significant amount of organic and biogenic substances. Insufficiently treated wastewater enters surface water and leads to their eutrophication. The usage of microalgae in wastewater treatment has significant advantages in comparison with other methods of removing biogenic substances. Namely: effective and simultaneous removal of nitrogen and phosphorus without reagents management facilities, oxygen formation. Using microalgae in wastewater treatment is a new environmentally friendly biotechnological method. Microalgae grow well in wastewater, from which they absorb pollutants. The purpose of the study is to analyze the work and determine the possibility of intensification of sewage treatment plants in the western region of Ukraine with a population of about 18,900 inhabitants. Productivity of treatment plant is 3400 m3/day. Experimental investigation consisted in adding a concentrate of a living microalgae strain of the species Chlorella vulgaris to the wastewater that was entered to the treatment plant during May-September 2019. During the research, the results of wastewater analyzes conducted by the chemical laboratory of the municipal water supply and sewerage company were used. The results of the survey and analysis of the city's treatment plant indicate an insufficient degree of wastewater treatment. The effectiveness of Chlorella vulgaris at the treatment plant has been experimentally proven. Mathematical dependences of the effect of wastewater treatment (using Chlorella vulgaris) on their temperature according to the indicators: BOD5, COD, concentration of ammonium nitrogen, phosphates and suspended solids were obtained. Dependencies are described by a linear function that characterizes the general behavior of the obtained data. The obtained results made it possible to significantly reduce the negative impact of treatment plants on the environment.


2015 ◽  
Vol 768 ◽  
pp. 506-514
Author(s):  
Chang Xiu Gong ◽  
Jian Guo Jiang

We focused on the effects of ultrasound and Fenton reagent in ultrasonic coupling Fenton oxidation (U+F) pre-treatment processes on the disintegration of wastewater treatment plant sludge. The results demonstrated that U+F treatment could significantly increase SCOD, TOC, total N, proteins, total P and PO43- concentrations in sludge supernatant. This method was more effective than ultrasonic (U) or Fenton oxidation (F) treatment alone. U+F treatment increased the SCOD by 2.1-and 1.4-fold compared with U and F alone, respectively. U+F treatment increased the total N and P by 1.7-and 2.2-fold, respectively, compared with F alone. This demonstrated that U+F treatment induces disintegration of sludge and release of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus better.


1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 201-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Løkkegaard Bjerre ◽  
T. Hvitved-Jacobsen ◽  
B. Teichgräber ◽  
D. te Heesen

The Emscher river in the Ruhr district, Germany, is at present acting as a large wastewater collector receiving untreated and mechanically treated wastewater. Before the Emscher flows into the river Rhine, treatment takes place in a biological wastewater treatment plant. The transformations of the organic matter in the Emscher affect the river catchment, the subsequent treatment and the river quality. This paper focuses on evaluation of methods for quantification of the microbial transformations of wastewater in the Emscher with emphasis on characterization of wastewater quality changes in terms of biodegradability of organic matter and viable biomass. The characterization is based on methods taken from the activated sludge process in wastewater treatment. Methods were evaluated on the basis of laboratory investigations of water samples from the Emscher. Incubation in batch reactors under aerobic, anoxic and anaerobic conditions were made and a case study was performed. The methods described will be used in an intensive study of wastewater transformations in the Emscher river. This study will be a basis for future investigations of wastewater quality changes in the Emscher.


1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans E. Andersen ◽  
Brian Kronvang ◽  
Søren E. Larsen

An empirical leaching model was applied to data on agricultural practices at the field level within 6 small Danish agricultural catchments in order to document any changes in nitrogen (N) leaching from the root zone during the period 1989-96. The model calculations performed at normal climate revealed an average reduction in N-leaching that amounted to 30% in the loamy catchments and 9% in the sandy catchments. The reductions in N leaching could be ascribed to several improvements in agricultural practices during the study period: (i) regulations on livestock density; (ii) regulations on the utilisation of animal manure; (iii) regulations concerning application practices for manure. The average annual total N-loss from agricultural areas to surface water constituted only 54% of the annual average N leached from the root zone in the three loamy catchments and 17% in the three sandy catchments. Thus, subsurface N-removal processes are capable of removing large amounts of N leached from agricultural land. An empirical model for the annual diffuse N-loss to streams from small catchments is presented. The model predicts annual N-loss as a function of the average annual use of mineral fertiliser and manure in the catchment and the total annual runoff from the unsaturated zone.


2007 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 21-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Brdjanovic ◽  
M. Mithaiwala ◽  
M.S. Moussa ◽  
G. Amy ◽  
M.C.M. van Loosdrecht

This paper presents results of a novel application of coupling the Activated Sludge Model No. 3 (ASM3) and the Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1 (ADM1) to assess a tropical wastewater treatment plant in a developing country (Surat, India). In general, the coupled model was very capable of predicting current plant operation. The model proved to be a useful tool in investigating various scenarios for optimising treatment performance under present conditions and examination of upgrade options to meet stricter and upcoming effluent discharge criteria regarding N removal. It appears that use of plant-wide modelling of wastewater treatment plants is a promising approach towards addressing often complex interactions within the plant itself. It can also create an enabling environment for the implementations of the novel side processes for treatment of nutrient-rich, side-streams (reject water) from sludge treatment.


2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Iwane ◽  
T. Urase ◽  
K. Yamamoto

Escherichia coli and coliform group bacteria resistant to seven antibiotics were investigated in the Tama River, a typical urbanized river in Tokyo, Japan, and at a wastewater treatment plant located on the river. The percentages of antibiotic resistance in the wastewater effluent were, in most cases, higher than the percentages in the river water, which were observed increasing downstream. Since the possible increase in the percentages in the river was associated with treated wastewater discharges, it was concluded that the river, which is contaminated by treated wastewater with many kinds of pollutants, is also contaminated with antibiotic resistant coliform group bacteria and E.coli. The percentages of resistant bacteria in the wastewater treatment plant were mostly observed decreasing during the treatment process. It was also demonstrated that the percentages of resistance in raw sewage are significantly higher than those in the river water and that the wastewater treatment process investigated in this study works against most of resistant bacteria in sewage.


2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Brückner ◽  
K. Kirchner ◽  
Y. Müller ◽  
S. Schiwy ◽  
K. Klaer ◽  
...  

Abstract The project DemO3AC (demonstration of large-scale wastewater ozonation at the Aachen-Soers wastewater treatment plant, Germany) of the Eifel-Rur Waterboard contains the construction of a large-scale ozonation plant for advanced treatment of the entire 25 million m³/yr of wastewater passing through its largest wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). In dry periods, up to 70% of the receiving water consists of treated wastewater. Thus, it is expected that effects of ozonation on downstream water biocoenosis will become observable. Extensive monitoring of receiving water and the WWTP shows a severe pollution with micropollutants (already prior to WWTP inlet). (Eco-)Toxicological investigations showed increased toxicity at the inlet of the WWTP for all assays. However, endocrine-disrupting potential was also present at other sampling points at the WWTP and in the river and could not be eliminated sufficiently by the WWTP. Total cell counts at the WWTP are slightly below average. Investigations of antibiotic resistances show no increase after the WWTP outlet in the river. However, cells carrying antibiotic-resistant genes seem to be more stress resistant in general. Comparing investigations after implementation of ozonation should lead to an approximation of the correlation between micropollutants and water quality/biocoenosis and the effects that ozonation has on this matter.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachman Syah ◽  
Mat Fahrur ◽  
Hidayat Suryanto Suwoyo ◽  
Makmur Makmur

Pengolahan air buangan tambak superintensif (TSI) adalah usaha untuk mengurangi beban bahan pencemar yang terkandung di dalam air buangan TSI sehingga aman dan tidak membahayakan saat dibuang ke lingkungan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi desain dan performansi Instalasi Pengolahan Air Limbah (IPAL) dalam memperbaiki kualitas air buangan TSI sebelum dibuang ke badan air. IPAL terdiri atas kolam sedimentasi, dua kolam aerasi, dan satu kolam penampungan. Ke dalam kolam penampungan ditebari ikan mujair serta rumput laut Gracilaria sp. yang dibudidayakan dengan metode long line, berfungsi sebagai biokontrol. Sampel air diambil di bagian inlet IPAL, oulet kolam sedimentasi atau inlet kolam aerasi-1, outlet kolam aerasi-1 atau inlet kolam aerasi-2, outlet kolam aerasi-2 atau inlet kolam penampungan, serta outlet kolam penampungan, setiap dua minggu selama 105 hari pemeliharaan. Parameter yang diukur adalah total padatan tersuspensi (TSS), total amonia nitrogen (TAN), nitrit, nitrat, fosfat, bahan organik terlarut (BOT), dan biological oxygen demand (BOD-5). Spesifikasi teknis IPAL yang diamati meliputi ukuran dan volume IPAL, volume dan waktu tinggal air buangan tambak, dan efisiensi kinerja IPAL, serta rasio volume IPAL dan volume total air tambak. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa IPAL dapat mengurangi beban bahan pencemar dengan tingkat efisiensi antara 53,1%-99,4%; namun masih diperlukan peningkatan kapasitas dalam mengurangi konsentrasi BOT. IPAL menghasilkan efisiensi yang tinggi terhadap TSS, TAN, nitrit, Total Nitrogen (TN), dan fosfat. Rasio volume IPAL dan volume air tambak 30:70 dengan waktu tinggal minimal lima hari, dapat dijadikan acuan dalam pembangunan IPAL tambak superintensif.A wastewater treatment plant (WTP) in a super-intensive shrimp farm is used to reduce organic matters contained in super-intensive shrimp farm effluent. Through the WTP, the waste water from shrimp facilities can safely and harmlessly be released to the receiving environments. The aims of this study were to evaluate the design and performance of a WTP in reconditioning waste water released from a super-intensive shrimp farm prior to release to water bodies. The WTP was made of a series of sedimentation pond, two aeration ponds, and one reservoir or equalitation pond. The tilapia fish and seaweed, Gracilaria sp., were stocked in the equalitation pond where the seaweed was cultured using long line method; these organisms were used as bio-control. Water samples were collected fortnightly during 105 days of culturing duration from the WTP inlet, outlet of sedimentation pond or at inlet of the first aeration pond; outlet of the first aeration pond or inlet of the second aeration pond, outlet of the second aeration pond or inlet of equalitation pond and the outlet of equalitation pond. The measured variables were total suspended solid (TSS), total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, total organic matters (TOM), and five days biological oxygen demand (BOD5). The evaluated technical performances of the plant were its size and volume; volume and retention time of effluent, efficiency of WTP performance and volume ratios of the WTP and total volume of shrimp pond. The results of the study indicated that the WTP was able to reduce concentrations of nutrients and solids in effluent by 53.1%-99.4% of efficiency. However, its capacity need to be increased due to reducing concentrations of TOM. The WTP was highly efficient in reducing the concentrations of TSS, TAN, nitrite, total N, and phosphate. The volume ratios between the plant and pond waters were 30:70 with minimum retention time five which days could be proposed for wastewater treatment pond for super-intensive shrimp ponds.


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