scholarly journals Constructed Wetlands in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Review of Experiences during the Last Decade

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1744
Author(s):  
Marco A. Rodriguez-Dominguez ◽  
Dennis Konnerup ◽  
Hans Brix ◽  
Carlos A. Arias

The review aims to report the state-of-the-art constructed wetlands (CW) in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region not limited to national and local conditions. The aim is with a broader view, to bring updated and sufficient information, to facilitate the use of the CW technology in the different countries of LAC. Thus, 520 experiences extracted from the 169 reviewed documents in 20 countries were analyzed. According to the data, horizontal subsurface flow wetlands are the most reported CW in the region (62%), the second most common CW technology in the region is free water surface CW (17%), then vertical flow systems (9%), followed by intensified constructed wetlands (8%), and finally French systems (4%). The performance for nutrient removal is analyzed, finding that the mean of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Nitrogen (TN), and Total Phosphorous (TP) removal efficiencies varies from 65% to 83%, 55% to 72%, and 30% to 84%, respectively. The results suggest a generally good performance for COD and TN removal, but a low performance for TP removal. Regarding plant species used for CWs, 114 different plant species were reported, being until now the most extensive report about plant species used in CWs in the LAC region.

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Koottatep ◽  
C. Polprasert ◽  
N. T.K. Oanh ◽  
U. Heinss ◽  
A. Montangero ◽  
...  

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been proven to be an effective low-cost treatment system, which utilizes the interactions of emergent plants and microorganisms in the removal of pollutants. CWs for wastewater treatment are normally designed and operated in horizontal-flow patterns, namely, free-water surface or subsurface flow, while a vertical-flow operation is normally used to treat sludge or septage having high solid contents. In this study, three pilot-scale CW beds, each with a surface area of 25 m2, having 65 cm sand-gravel substrata, supported by ventilated-drainage system and planting with narrow-leave cattails (Typha augustifolia), were fed with septage collected from Bangkok city, Thailand. To operate in a vertical-flow mode, the septage was uniformly distributed on the surface of the CW units. During the first year of operation, the CWs were operated at the solid loading rates (SLR) and application frequencies of, respectively, 80-500 kg total solid (TS)/m2.yr and 1-2 times weekly. It was found that the SLR of 250 kg TS/m2.yr resulted in the highest TS, total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) removal of 80, 96 and 92%, respectively. The TS contents of the dewatered septage on the CW beds were increased from 1-2% to 30-60% within an operation cycle. Because of the vertical-flow mode of operation and with the effectiveness of the ventilation pipes, there were high degrees of nitrification occurring in the CW beds. The nitrate (NO3) contents in the CW percolate were 180-250 mg/L, while the raw septage had NO3 contents less than 10 mg/L. Due to rapid flow-through of the percolates, there was little liquid retained in the CW beds, causing the cattail plants to wilt, especially during the dry season. To reduce the wilting effects, the operating strategies in the second year were modified by ponding the percolate in the CW beds for periods of 2 and 6 days prior to discharge. This operating strategy was found beneficial not only for mitigating plant wilting, but also for increasing N removal through enhanced denitrification activities in the CW beds. During these 2 year operations, the dewatered septage was not removed from the CW beds and no adverse effects on the septage dewatering efficiency were observed.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 369-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Polprasert ◽  
N. R. Khatiwada ◽  
J. Bhurtel

This study was conducted to determine performance of free water surface (FWS) constructed wetlands located in the tropics in the removal of organic matter and to assess the importance of biofilm bacteria in the overall kinetics of organic matter (or chemical oxygen demand, COD) removal. Because constructed wetlands normally contain both biofilm and suspended bacteria, a kinetic model incorporating the activities of these two bacteria groups, dispersion number and hydraulic retention time, was employed. The model parameters essential for the calculation of COD removal in FWS constructed wetlands were determined from the experiments and some from the literature. The model was found satisfactory in predicting COD removal efficiencies in a pilot-scale FWS constructed wetland unit treating a domestic wastewater.


Author(s):  
Wilhan Douglas Reis ◽  
Aldecy De Almeida Santos ◽  
Eduarda Da Conceição Oliveira ◽  
João Batista Ito

The amount of wastewater has increased due to the considerable expansion of higher education institutions. When wastewater is released without treatment or with inefficient treatment, it causes significant water pollution. In this context, this study evaluated the performance of Constructed Wetlands as a post-treatment of a decanter digester followed by an anaerobic filter, operated with effluent from the Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá Campus, Mato Grosso State.  Four wetlands were constructed to develop the research: planted with Typha domingensis, planted with Heliconia psittacorum, planted with Pontederia parviflora, and not planted. The following physicochemical parameters were analyzed:  Color, Turbidity, pH, Temperature, Total Solids, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Nitrogen, Sulfate, Nitrate and Nitrite. The results show an organic matter removal efficiency with mean removal results: 70% BOD5 for TCW, HCW and PCW; and COD 76% for PCW. The mean removal of total phosphorus was 78% for PCW and 92% NO-2, as macronutrients. Analysis of variance ANOVA shows significance in the results of TDS, SO4 and COD removal.


Author(s):  
Antanas DUMBRAUSKAS ◽  
Nijolė BASTIENĖ ◽  
Petras PUNYS

GIS-based approach to find the suitable sites for surface flow constructed wetlands was employed for the Lithuanian river basins with low ecological status. According to the nature of the analysed criteria the flowchart consists of two phases. Criteria used include hydrographical network, soil properties, terrain features, land use, etc. Some of them have strictly defined values (constraints), and other ranges within certain limits (factors). Limited criteria were analysed using rejection principle and influencing factors using proximity analysis and overlay methods. Selecting the potential sites using standard GIS analysis tools there was estimated about 3286 sites for possible wetlands with the mean area of inflow basin about 4 km2 in the basins of water bodies at risk.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edila Arnaud Ferreira Moura

This work presents the results of a study about the reproductive behavior of riverine women living in the Sustainable Development Reserve Amanã, in the Middle Solimões region, state of Amazonas. The study was done in 2001 with the objective of identify aspects of the reproductive behavior of 83 women, collected through reproductive history methodology. These women live in small localities along the rivers and lakes in the middle of the Amazonian forest. The study identified that these women initialize their reproductive period at the age of 17, in average, and the mean age of their last pregnancy occurs at the age of 42, considering those above 50 years old. 36% of these 83 women had lost one or more of their children before the age of five. Only 16% use contraceptives and 12% are sterilized. They don’t have access to the basic health assistance in a regular basis and the local midwives are extremely important in their assistance during pregnancy and delivery. This study em phasizes the importance of reproductive health programs including those social and cultural local conditions.


1999 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan K. Rash ◽  
Sarah K. Liehr

Three series of tracer studies were performed on three constructed wetlands at the New Hanover County Landfill near Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. One vegetated free water surface wetland (FWS-R), one vegetated subsurface flow wetland (SSF-R), and one unvegetated control subsurface flow wetland (SSF-C) were studied. A conservative tracer, lithium chloride, was used to study the chemical reactor behavior of these wetlands under normal operating conditions. Results indicated that short-circuiting is quite common in SSF wetlands, while FWS wetlands are well-mixed and not as subject to short-circuiting. These results were obtained from and reinforced with tracer measurements at interior points in these wetlands, analysis of residence time distributions from two different formulations, and the construction of residence volume distributions. The short-circuiting in the SSF wetlands can be attributed to the following: (1) Vertical mixing is inhibited by a combination of physical barriers and density gradients caused by rainfall and runoff dilution of the upper layer; and (2) Leachate is drawn from the bottom of the wetland, causing it to further prefer a flow path along the bottom.


2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Coelho ◽  
Ronald Moura ◽  
Ronaldo Silva ◽  
Anselmo Kamada ◽  
Rafael Guimaraes ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 232 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fátima Resende Luiz Fia ◽  
Antonio Teixeira de Matos ◽  
Ronaldo Fia ◽  
Mateus Pimentel de Matos ◽  
Alisson Carraro Borges ◽  
...  

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