Abstract

Support material used in constructed wetlands has been shown to be a key element and significant mechanism in the process of contaminants removal from sewage including phosphorus compounds. Recycled waste tires processed into small chips that are similar to conventional stone aggregate are currently used in the construction of septic system leach fields and could be a green alternative as support material in constructed wetlands. During three years, the performance of a gravity subsurface horizontal flow constructed wetland using recycled shredded-tire chips as support material to treat on-site the high strength wastewater from a bakery was monitored. Grab samples of the effluent from the septic tank and the constructed wetland were collected quarterly and submitted to a certified laboratory. Final treatment efficiency (percentage removal) was low for potassium (36%), intermediate for total nitrogen (56%), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (57%), and relatively high for total phosphorus (65%), total suspended solids (69%), ammonia-nitrogen (87%), five-day biochemical oxygen demand (92%), Escherichia coli (97%), and fat-oil and grease total (99%). Nitrate-nitrogen final mean value was consistently below 1 mg/L, and iron concentration increased from less of 2 mg/L in the sewage to 55 mg/L in the constructed wetland effluent. These results show that recycled shredded-tire chips could be an environmental alternative support material in constructed wetlands as efficient removal of typical wastewater contaminants is not compromised. View Full-Text