Constructed Wetland

Course name: Theory Of Sewage Treatment

Course no: CE-6304
Name: Riyaf Ahmed
Student ID: 0422042106
Session:April,2022
Contents:
 Wetlands
 Wetland Function and values
 Constructed Wetlands
 Components of Constructed Wetlands
 Mechanism to improve water quality
 Types of constructed wetlands
o Subsurface flow wetland
o Surface flow wetland
o Horizontal flow constructed wetland
 Advantages of Constructed wetlands
 Limitation of constructed wetlands
 Contaminants removal
 Reference
Wetland
 A wetland is a land area that is saturated with water, either
permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the
characteristics of a distinct ecosystem.
 The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other
landforms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of
aquatic plants, adapted to the unique hydric soil.
Wetland Function and Values:
Under appropriate circumstances, wetlands can provide:
 water quality improvement
 flood storage and the desynchronization of storm rainfall and surface runoff
 cycling of nutrients and other materials habitat for fish- and wildlife
 passive recreation, such as bird watching and photography
 active recreation, such as hunting
 education and research
 aesthetics and landscape enhance merit
 What are Constructed Wetlands

Constructed wetlands are small artificial wastewater treatment systems

consisting of one or more shallow treatment cells, with herbaceous
vegetation that flourish in saturated or flooded cells. They are usually
more suitable to warmer climates. In these systems wastewater is treated
by the processes of sedimentation, filtration, digestion, oxidation,
reduction, adsorption and precipitation.
Components of Constructed Wetlands:
These components can be manipulated in constructing a wetland.
 Vegetation
 Aesthetics and landscape enhancement
 Microorganisms
 Animals
 Water
 Substrates, Sediments and Litter
 Mechanism to Improve water quality

• Settling of suspended particulate matter.

• Filtration and chemical precipitation through contact of the water with the substrate and litter Chemical transformation.
• Adsorption and ion exchange on the surfaces of plants, substrate, sediment, and litter.
• Breakdown and transformation of pollutants by microorganisms and plants.
• Uptake and transformation of nutrients by microorganisms and plants.
• Predation and natural die-off of pathogens.
Schematic layout of a constructed wetland
Types of constructed wetlands:
Subsurface flow
Constructed
wetlands

Surface flow
Constructed
Constructed
Wetlands
wetlands

Hybrid
constructed
wetland
 Subsurface flow wetland
 Subsurface flow wetlands can treat a variety of different wastewaters, such as household wastewater,
agricultural, paper mill wastewater, mining runoff, tannery or meat processing wastes, storm water.
 The quality of the effluent is determined by the design and should be customized for the intended reuse
application (like irrigation or toilet flushing) or the disposal method.
 Subsurface flow wetlands can be further classified as horizontal flow and vertical flow constructed wetlands.
 In the vertical flow constructed wetland, the effluent moves vertically from the planted layer down through the
substrate and out (requiring air pumps to aerate the bed).In the horizontal flow CW the effluent moves
horizontally via gravity, parallel to the surface, with no surface water thus avoiding mosquito breeding.
 Subsurface flow systems have the advantage of requiring less land area for water treatment than surface flow.
Subsurface flow wetland
 Surface flow wetland
• Surface flow wetlands, also known as free water surface constructed wetlands, can be used for tertiary
treatment or polishing of effluent from wastewater treatment plants. They are also suitable to treat storm
water drainage.
• Surface flow CWs are characterized by the horizontal flow of wastewater across the roots of the plants.
They require a relatively large area to purify water compared to subsurface flow CWs and may have
increased smell and lower performance in winter.
Surface flow wetland
 Hybrid Constructed wetland
In hybrid or multistage systems, different
cells are designed for different types of
reactions. Effective wetland treatment may
require a sequence of different wetland cells
to promote aerobic and anaerobic reactions.
Contaminants removal:
 Advantages of constructed wetlands:

• Wetlands can be less expensive to build than other treatment options.

• Operation and maintenance expenses (energy and supplies) are low.
• Operation and maintenance require only periodic, rather than continuous, on-site labor.
• Wetlands can tolerate fluctuations in flow.
• They facilitate water reuse and recycling.
• They provide a habitat for many wetland organisms.
• They can be built to fit harmoniously into the landscape.
• They are an environmentally-sensitive approach that is viewed with favor by the general public.
 Limitations of constructed wetlands:

• Wetland treatment may be economical relative to other options only where land is available and
affordable.
• Performance may be less consistent than in conventional treatment.
• The biological components are sensitive to toxic chemicals, such as ammonia and pesticides
• There is yet no consensus on the optimal design of wetland systems nor is there much information on
their long-term performance.
Reference's:
 Abdel-Hady, M., (Ph.D. thesis) 2014. "Hydraulic Study of Drainage System" Constructed Subsurface Wetlands.
Mansoura Faculty of Engineering.■Nilsson, E., Sha, L., Qian, W., Leedo, M., 2012.
 Constructed Wetlands "Wastewater Treatment". VVA No. 1 Decentralized Water and Wastewater
Treatment.Powell, J., Homer, J., Glassmeyer, C., Sauer, N., 2009.
 Alternative wastewater treatment: on-site biotreatment wetlands at the Fernald Preserve Visitors Center. In: WM
Conference, Phoenix, Arizona.Xing, A., (M.Sc. thesis) 2012.
 Recent Developments in Wetland Technology for Wastewater Treatment. Applied Environmental Science, School
of Business and Engineering, Halmstad University.Zidan, A.A., El-Gamal, M.A., Rashed, A.A., Abd El-Hady,
M.A., 2013.
 BOD treatment in HSSF constructed wetlands using different media (set-up stage). Mansoura Eng. J. 38 (3.).
Thank You