Open AccessContaminant removal efficiency of floating treatment wetlands
Author(s) -
Shuolin Li,
Gabriel G. Katul
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
environmental research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.37
H-Index - 124
ISSN - 1748-9326
DOI - 10.1088/1748-9326/abaa0a
Subject(s) - arithmetic underflow , environmental science , wetland , vegetation (pathology) , advection , hydrology (agriculture) , flow (mathematics) , stormwater , environmental engineering , surface runoff , geology , geotechnical engineering , ecology , computer science , mechanics , medicine , physics , pathology , biology , programming language , thermodynamics
Floating treatment wetlands are new ecological infrastructures for stormwater treatment. Despite a recent proliferation in their usage, their contaminant removal efficiency e continues to draw research attention. Here, the e from idealized FTWs is numerically computed across a wide range of flow and geometric conditions while accommodating joint contributions of advection, turbulent dispersion, and vegetation removal. The emerging mathematical structure describing e bears resemblance to a simplified plug flow model and supports an empirical shallow-basin model from long-term field measurements. The present model indicates that e remains significantly influenced by a Dämkohler number that quantifies the effects of both vegetation and flow properties. The impacts on e of the underflow region and contaminant blockage on the removal mechanisms are also investigated.