Open AccessStudying the properties of constructed wetland sediments for their possible application as fertilizers
Author(s) -
Yuriy Vergeles,
Nataliya Butenko,
A.A. Ischenko,
Lidija Svirenko,
Felix Stolberg,
William Hogland
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
linnaeus eco-tech
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2002-8008
DOI - 10.15626/eco-tech.2007.015
Subject(s) - phragmites , environmental science , wetland , effluent , constructed wetland , biogeochemical cycle , filtration (mathematics) , macrophyte , sewage treatment , wastewater , total organic carbon , suspended solids , environmental engineering , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , ecology , geology , chemistry , biology , statistics , mathematics , geotechnical engineering
The processes of sediment formation and their biogeochemical properties were studied in2005-2007 at the experimental constructed wetland site ("Bioplato") designed for treatment ofdomestic effluents in Ukraine, nearby the city of Kharkiv. The constructed wetland consists ofthree units: one with vertical filtration applying fine gravel (0.5 m in depth) and coarse sand(0.3 111) as filtering media, one with horizontal filtration applying middle sand (0,8 m) as afiltering medium, and one surface flow unit with natural wetland soil applied, The site alsoincludes a septic tank and a small sludge-drying field. The constructed wetland with acapacity of 50 1113 of treated domestic wastewater per day was established in 1998 and sincethen it has been operated continuously until now. Macrophytes were planted in I 998-200 I,and recently the reed (Phragmites australis), cattail (Typha latifolia), and a number of sedgespecies (Carex Jpp.) dominate over the rest of ca. 30 plant species with average cover of 85-90%. Treatment efficiency of 90-95% of BOD5 and suspended solids removal, as well as 98-99% of removal of pathogenic microorganisms allows discharging the treated wastewater intoadjacent artificial lake, Sludge was sampled at each unit followed with standard laboratoryanalyses of its main characteristics: total organic carbon (TOC), total nutrients (N, P),contents of trace elements, abundance of pathogenic microorganisms, and general toxicity.The results of analyses confirmed that the top layer of sludge from each unit of the assessedconstructed wetland site could be used as a source of fertilizers for grain and leguminouscrops.