Conventional subsurface-flow constructed wetlands (SFCW) for wastewater treatment are typically designed as horizontal plug-flow vegetated beds. Limited oxygen, provided mostly by slow transfer through air–water interface, turns these systems anaerobic, thus requiring a long hydraulic retention time (HRT) to achieve desired effluent quality. A SFCW treatment system with biofield effluent dispos...

Background: Constructed wetlands are systems designed based on the utilization of natural processes, including vegetation, soil, and their associated microbial assemblage to assist in treating different types of wastewater. Methods: Two local Appalachian plants (Louis latifolia and Phragmites australis) were planted into smallscale constructed wetlands to treat domestic wastewater in the North ...

Constructed wetlands have gained much importance for treating domestic, industrial and agricultural wastes and are considered as an effective secondary or tertiary treatment method. The main characteristics affect the removal efficiency of constructed wetland are the vegetation type, hydraulic residence time and substrate. The aim of the present study is to examine effect of vegetation type on ...

Sorption of phosphorus (P) to the bed sand medium is a major removal mechanism for P in subsurface flow constructed wetlands. Selecting a sand medium with a high P-sorption capacity is therefore important to obtain a sustained P-removal. The P-removal capacities of 13 Danish sands were evaluated and related to their physico-chemical characteristics. The P-removal properties of sands of differen...

The performance of an innovative pilot-scale subsurface flow compost wetland for the attenuation of zinc in mine drainage was investigated. The particular novelty of the system, which operated under ambient environmental conditions, was the short hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 7.5 – 14.5 hours. Short HRT is crucial because it reduces absolute wetland size and construction cost, which can be ...