Performance of Filter Beds and Macrophytes in a Vertically Constructed Wetland for Treating Domestic Sewage Effluents

An experiment with different filter beds and macrophytes was carried out to study their phytoremediation capacity on the efficiency of domestic wastewater treatment through constructed wetland (CW) from November March 2017-18 at University Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad campus, Karnataka. Twenty combinations involving five types (FB-1: gravel, FB-2: gravel-sand-gravel, FB-3: gavel-sand-brick-gravel, FB-4: gravel-sand-charcoal-gravel FB-5: gravel-sand-(charcoal+brick)-gravel) four (MP-1: Typha latifolia, MP-2: Brachiaria mutica, MP-3: Canna indica MP-4: Phragmites sp.) were evaluated for treating waste water. After 120 days start, across combinations, water electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved suspended solids (TDS-TSS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical (COD), sodium, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual carbonate (RSC), bicarbonates, nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (N-P-K) boron (B) reduced by more than 40 percent due treatment. The system enhanced mineralization organic nitrogen ammoniacal (NH4+-N) nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) fractions. Among beds, Type-5 caused a higher reduction in pH, EC, BOD, COD, Organic-N, while Type-4 proved efficient removing lowering pH sewage effluent. Type-3 bed removed solids, potassium, nitrogen. macrophytes, (Paragrass) nitrogen, phosphorus boron. flexibility implementation allows CW be adapted sites configurations, being suitable as main, secondary, or tertiary stage.