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A novel horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland planted with Typha angustifolia for treatment of polluted water

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Abstract

Rapid population growth and urbanization has put a lot of stress on existing water bodies in most developing countries such as the Marriott Lake of Egypt. Three constructed wetland configurations including Typha angustifolia planted with enhanced atmospheric aeration by using perforated pipes networks (CWA), planted without perforated pipe network (CWR), and a control non-planted and without perforated pipes wetland (Control) were used in the study. Changes in physicochemical properties and microbial community over four seasons and hydraulic loading rate (HLR) (50, 100, 200, 300, and 400 L day−1 m−1) were monitored using influent from Marriott Lake in Egypt. Overall, the removal performance followed the sequence CWA>CWR>control. Turbidity removal of 98.4%; biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) removal of 83.3%; chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 95.8%; NH3-N removal of 99.9%; total nitrogen (TN) removal of 94.7%; NO3−-N and NO2−-N increased; total P (TP) removal of 99.7%, Vibrio sp. of 100%, Escherichia coli 100%; total bacterial count of 92.3%; and anaerobic bacteria reduction of 97.5% were achieved by using CWA. Seasonal variation and variation in HLRs had significant effect on performance. The modified planted CWA system enhances the removal of pollutants and could present a novel route for reducing the cost associated with integrating artificial aeration into wetlands.

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Abbreviations

C:

Control unit (non-planted and without perforated pipes)

CWA:

Wetland unit (with perforated pipe network)

CWR:

Wetland unit (without perforated pipes)

HSFCW:

Horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland

HLR:

Hydraulic loading rate

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Environmental Division, Alexandria, Egypt (Enviro 2017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Division, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, 21544, Egypt

    Mohamed S. Gaballah, Ola Abdelwahab & Khouloud M. Barakat

  2. College of Engineering (Key Laboratory for Clean Renewable Energy Utilization Technology, Ministry of Agriculture), China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, People’s Republic of China

    Dominic Aboagye

  3. Department of Agricultural and Bio-systems Engineering, Makerere University, P. O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda

    Dominic Aboagye

Authors
  1. Mohamed S. Gaballah
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  2. Ola Abdelwahab
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  3. Khouloud M. Barakat
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  4. Dominic Aboagye
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Correspondence to Ola Abdelwahab.

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Gaballah, M.S., Abdelwahab, O., Barakat, K.M. et al. A novel horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland planted with Typha angustifolia for treatment of polluted water. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 28449–28462 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08669-5

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