All Topics  
Constructed wetland

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Constructed wetland



 
 
A constructed wetland or wetpark is an artificial marsh
Marsh

In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland which is subject to frequent or continuous flood . Typically the water is shallow and features Poaceaees, Juncaceaees, Phragmites, typhas, Cyperaless, and other herbaceous plants....
 or swamp
Swamp

A swamp is a wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land, by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a substantial number of hammock , or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation....
, created for anthropogenic discharge such as wastewater
Wastewater

Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations....
, stormwater
Stormwater

Stormwater is a term used to describe water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt or runoff water from overwatering that enters the stormwater system....
 runoff or sewage treatment
Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic....
, and as habitat for wildlife
Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, or for land reclamation after mining
Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
 or other disturbance. Natural wetland
Wetland

File:Mangrove trees in Everglades.JPGA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water....
s act as biofilters, removing sediment
Sediment

Sediment is any particulate matter that can be sediment transport by fluid dynamics, and which eventually is deposited.Sediments are most often transported by water transported by wind and glaciers....
s and pollutant
Pollutant

A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil.Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant: its chemical nature, the concentration and the persistence....
s such as heavy metals
Heavy metals

A heavy metal is a member of an ill-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties, which would mainly include the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides....
 from the water, and constructed wetlands can be designed to emulate these features.

tation in a wetland provides a substrate (roots, stems, and leaves) upon which microorganisms can grow as they break down organic materials.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Constructed wetland'
Start a new discussion about 'Constructed wetland'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


A constructed wetland or wetpark is an artificial marsh
Marsh

In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland which is subject to frequent or continuous flood . Typically the water is shallow and features Poaceaees, Juncaceaees, Phragmites, typhas, Cyperaless, and other herbaceous plants....
 or swamp
Swamp

A swamp is a wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land, by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a substantial number of hammock , or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation....
, created for anthropogenic discharge such as wastewater
Wastewater

Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations....
, stormwater
Stormwater

Stormwater is a term used to describe water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt or runoff water from overwatering that enters the stormwater system....
 runoff or sewage treatment
Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic....
, and as habitat for wildlife
Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, or for land reclamation after mining
Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
 or other disturbance. Natural wetland
Wetland

File:Mangrove trees in Everglades.JPGA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water....
s act as biofilters, removing sediment
Sediment

Sediment is any particulate matter that can be sediment transport by fluid dynamics, and which eventually is deposited.Sediments are most often transported by water transported by wind and glaciers....
s and pollutant
Pollutant

A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil.Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant: its chemical nature, the concentration and the persistence....
s such as heavy metals
Heavy metals

A heavy metal is a member of an ill-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties, which would mainly include the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides....
 from the water, and constructed wetlands can be designed to emulate these features.

Operation

Vegetation in a wetland provides a substrate (roots, stems, and leaves) upon which microorganisms can grow as they break down organic materials. This community of microorganisms is known as the periphyton
Periphyton

Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems....
. The periphyton and natural chemical processes are responsible for approximately 90 percent of pollutant
Pollutant

A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil.Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant: its chemical nature, the concentration and the persistence....
 removal and waste breakdown. The plants remove about seven to ten percent of pollutants, and act as a carbon
Carbon

Carbon is a chemical element with chemical symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalence?making four electrons available to form covalent bond chemical bonds....
 source for the microbes when they decay. Different species of aquatic plant
Aquatic plant

Aquatic plants — also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes — are plants that have adapted to living in or on aquatic environments....
s have different rates of heavy metal uptake, a consideration for plant selection in a constructed wetland used for water treatment.

Constructed wetlands are of two basic types: subsurface-flow and surface-flow wetlands. Subsurface-flow wetlands can be further classified as horizontal flow and vertical flow constructed wetlands. Subsurface-flow wetlands move effluent (agricultural or mining runoff, tannery
Tanning

Tanning is the process of making leather, which does not easily Decomposition, from the skins of animals, which do. Often this uses tannin, an acidic chemical compound....
 or meat
Meat

In modern English usage, meat most often refers to animal biological tissue used as food, mostly skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to offal, including livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, in some countries lungs, and a variety of other internal organs as well as blood....
 processing wastes, wastewater from sewage or storm drains, or other water to be cleansed) through a gravel
Gravel

Gravel is rock that is of a specific particle size range. Specifically, it is is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters in its largest dimension and no more than 64 millimeters ....
 lavastone or sand
Sand

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.As the term is used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters....
 medium on which plants are rooted; surface-flow wetlands move effluent above the soil in a planted marsh or swamp, and thus can be supported by a wider variety of soil types including bay mud
Bay mud

Bay mud consists of thick deposits of soft, unconsolidated silty clay, which is saturated with water; these soil layers are situated at the bottom of certain estuary, which are normally in temperate regions that have experienced cyclical glacial cycles....
 and other silty clays. In subsurface-flow systems, the effluent may move either horizontally, parallel to the surface, or vertically, from the planted layer down through the substrate and out. Subsurface horizontal-flow wetlands are less hospitable to mosquito
Mosquito

Mosquitoes are common flying insects in the family Culicidae that are found around the world. There are about 3,500 species. They have a pair of scaled wings, a pair of halteres, a slender body, and six long legs....
es, whose populations can be a problem in constructed wetlands (carnivorous plants have been used to address this problem). Subsurface-flow systems have the advantage of requiring less land area for water treatment, but are not generally as suitable for wildlife habitat as are surface-flow constructed wetlands.

Plantings of reedbeds are popular in European constructed wetlands, and plants such as cattails or bulrush
Bulrush

Bulrush or bullrush may refer to:...
es (Typha
Typha

Typha is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the monogeneric family, Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan distribution, being found in a variety of wetland habitats....
 spp.), sedge
Cyperaceae

The family Cyperaceae, or the sedges, is a taxon of monocotyledon flowering plants that superficially resemble Poaceae or Juncaceae. The family is large, with some 4,000 species described in about 70 genera....
s, water hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes

Eichhornia crassipes, commonly known as Common Water Hyacinth, is an invasive species of plant, which is native of Amazon basin. This plant is also used like a medicinal plant....
 and Pontederia
Pontederia

Pontederia is a genus of heterostyly aquatic plants, commonly called the pickerel weeds. Pontederia is endemic to the Americas, distributed from Canada to Argentina, where it is found in shallow water or on mud....
 spp. are used worldwide. Recent research in use of constructed wetlands for subarctic regions has shown that buckbeans (Menyanthes trifoliata) and pendant grass
Grass

Grass is the common word that generally describes monocotyledonous green plants. The family Poaceae are the "true grasses" and include most plants grown as grains, for pasture, and for lawns ....
 (Arctophila fulva) are also useful for metals uptake.

General contaminant removal

Physical, chemical, and biological processes combine in wetlands to remove contaminants from wastewater. An understanding of these processes is fundamental not only to designing wetland systems but to understanding the fate of chemicals once they have entered the wetland. Theoretically, treatment of wastewater within a constructed wetland occurs as it passes through the wetland medium and the plant rhizosphere. A thin aerobic film around each root hair is aerobic due to the leakage of oxygen from the rhizomes, root
Root

In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial root or aerating ....
s, and rootlets. Decomposition of organic matter is facilitated by aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms present. Microbial nitrification
Nitrification

Nitrification is the biological redox of ammonia with oxygen into nitrite followed by the oxidation of these nitrites into nitrates. Degradation of ammonia to nitrite is usually the rate limiting step of nitrification....
 and subsequent denitrification
Denitrification

Denitrification is a microbially facilitated process of dissimilatory nitrate reduction that may ultimately produce molecular nitrogen through a series of intermediate gaseous nitrogen oxide products....
 releases nitrogen
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
 as gas to the atmosphere
Atmosphere

An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, by the gravity of the body, and are retained for a longer duration if gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low....
. Phosphorus
Phosphorus

Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. The name comes from the and . A Valency nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate minerals....
 is coprecipitated
Coprecipitation

In chemistry, coprecipitation or co-precipitation is the carrying down by a precipitate of substances normally soluble under the conditions employed....
 with iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
, aluminum, and calcium
Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft grey alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth most abundant element by mass in the earth's Crust ....
 compounds located in the root-bed medium. Suspended solids
Suspended solids

Suspended solids refers to small solid particles which remain in Suspension in water as a colloid or due to the motion of the water. It is used as one indicator of water quality....
 are filtered out as they settle in the water column in surface flow wetlands or are physically filtered out by the medium within subsurface flow wetland cells. Harmful bacteria
Bacteria

The Bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals....
 and viruses are reduced by filtration and adsorption by biofilms on the rock media in subsurface flow and vertical flow systems.

Removal of nitrogen

The dominant forms of nitrogen in wetlands that are of importance to wastewater treatment
Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater treatment may refer to:* Sewage treatment* Industrial wastewater treatment...
 include organic nitrogen, ammonia
Ammonia

Ammonia is a chemical compound with the chemical formula nitrogenhydrogen. It is normally encountered as a gas with a characteristic pungent odor....
, ammonium
Ammonium

The ammonium cation is a positively electric charge polyatomic ion of the chemical formula NH4+. It has a formula weight of 18.05 and is formed by protonation of ammonia ....
, nitrate
Nitrate

In inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of nitric acid with an ion composed of one nitrogen and three oxygen atoms . In organic chemistry the esters of nitric acid and various alcohols are called nitrates....
, nitrite
Nitrite

The nitrite ion is NO2-. The anion is bent, being isoelectronic with ozone. More generally, a nitrite compound is either a Salt or an ester of nitrous acid....
, and nitrogen gases. Inorganic forms are essential to plant growth in aquatic systems but if scarce can limit or control plant productivity. The nitrogen entering wetland systems can be measured as organic nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite. Total Nitrogen refers to all nitrogen species. The removal of nitrogen from wastewater is important because of ammonia’s toxicity to fish if discharged into water courses. Excessive levels of nitrates in drinking water is thought to cause methemoglobinemia
Methemoglobinemia

Methemoglobinemia is a disorder characterized by the presence of a higher than normal level of methemoglobin in the blood. Methemoglobin is a form of hemoglobin that does not bind oxygen....
 in infants, which decreases the oxygen transport ability of the blood. The UK has experienced a significant increase in nitrate concentration in groundwater
Groundwater

Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil porosity spaces and in the fractures of lithologic formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water....
 and rivers.

Organic nitrogen

Mitsch & Gosselink define nitrogen mineralisation as "the biological transformation of organically combined nitrogen to ammonium nitrogen during organic matter degradation". This can be both an aerobic and anaerobic process and is often referred to as ammonification
Ammonification

Ammonification is a term used in biology to describe the process by which decomposers change nitrogen in detritus to ammonium . ...
. Mineralisation of organically combined nitrogen releases inorganic nitrogen as nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and ammonium, making it available for plants, fungi and bacteria. Mineralisation rates may be affected by oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 levels in a wetland.

Ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+)

The formation of ammonia (NH3) occurs via the mineralisation or ammonification of organic matter under either anaerobic or aerobic conditions (Keeney, 1973). The ammonium ion
Ion

An ion is an atom or molecule which has lost or gained one or more electrons, giving it a positive or negative electrical charge. According to the Bohr_model this will be from or in the outer shield 'n'....
 (NH4+) is the primary form of mineralized nitrogen in most flooded wetland soils. The formation of this ion occurs when ammonia combines with water as follows:

NH3 + H2O <-----> NH4+ + OH-


Upon formation, several pathways are available to the ammonium ion. It can be absorbed by the plants and algae and converted back into organic matter, or the ammonium ion can be electrostatically held on negatively charged surfaces of soil particles. At this point, the ammonium ion can be prevented from further oxidation because of the anaerobic nature of wetland soils. Under these conditions the ammonium ion is stable and it is in this form that nitrogen predominates in anaerobic sediments typical of wetlands (Brock & Madigan, 1991; ).

Most wetland soils have a thin aerobic layer at the surface. As an ammonium ion from the anaerobic sediments diffuses upward into this layer it is converted to nitrite or nitrified (Klopatek, 1978). An increase in the thickness of this aerobic layer results in an increase in nitrification. This diffusion of the ammonium ion sets up a concentration gradient across the aerobic-anaerobic soil layers resulting in further nitrification reactions (Klopatek, 1978).

Nitrification
Nitrification

Nitrification is the biological redox of ammonia with oxygen into nitrite followed by the oxidation of these nitrites into nitrates. Degradation of ammonia to nitrite is usually the rate limiting step of nitrification....
 is the biological conversion of organic and inorganic nitrogenous compounds from a reduced state to a more oxidized state. Nitrification is strictly an aerobic process in which the end product is nitrate (NO3-); this process is limited when anaerobic conditions prevail. Nitrification will occur readily down to 0.3 ppm dissolved oxygen (Keeney, 1973). The process of nitrification (1) oxidizes ammonium (from the sediment) to nitrite (NO2-), and then (2) nitrite is oxidized to nitrate (NO3-). The overall nitrification reactions are as follows:

(1) 2 NH4+ + 3 O2 <----> 4 H+ + 2 H2O + 2 NO2-
(2) 2 NO2- + O2 <----> 2 NO3-
(Davies & Hart, 1990)

Two different bacteria are required to complete this oxidation of ammonium to nitrate. Nitrosomonas sp. oxidizes ammonium to nitrite via reaction (1) , and Nitrobacter sp. oxidizes nitrite to nitrate via reaction (2) (Keeney, 1973).

Denitrification
Denitrification

Denitrification is a microbially facilitated process of dissimilatory nitrate reduction that may ultimately produce molecular nitrogen through a series of intermediate gaseous nitrogen oxide products....
 is the biochemical reduction of oxidized nitrogen anions, nitrate (NO3-) and nitrite (NO2-) to produce the gaseous products nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitrogen gas (N2), with concomitant oxidation of organic matter. The general sequence is as follows:

NO3- ---> NO2- ---> NO ---> N2O ---> N2

The end products, N2O and N2 are gases that re-enter the atmosphere. Denitrification occurs intensely in anaerobic environments but will also occur in aerobic conditions (Bandurski, 1965). A deficiency of oxygen causes certain bacteria to use nitrate in place of oxygen as an electron acceptor
Electron acceptor

An electron acceptor is a chemical entity that accepts electrons transferred to it from another compound. It is an oxidizing agent that, by virtue of its accepting electrons, is itself reduced in the process....
 for the reduction of organic matter. The process of denitrification is restricted to a narrow zone in the sediment immediately below the aerobic-anaerobic soil interface (Nielson et al., 1990). Denitrification is considered by Richardson et al. (1978) to be the predominant microbial process that modifies the chemical composition of nitrogen in a wetland system and the major process whereby elemental nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere. To summarize, the nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen cycle

The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the transformations of nitrogen and nitrogen-containing compounds in nature. It is a cycle which includes Gas components....
 is completed as follows: ammonia in water, at or near neutral pH is converted to ammonium ions; the aerobic bacterium Nitrosomonas sp. oxidizes ammonium to nitrite; Nitrobacter sp. then converts nitrite to nitrate. Under anaerobic conditions, nitrate is reduced to relatively harmless nitrogen gas, that is given off to the atmosphere.

Nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands used to treat domestic sewage


In a review of 19 surface flow wetlands (US EPA, 1988) it was found that nearly all reduced total nitrogen. In a review of both surface flow and subsurface flow wetlands Reed (1995) concluded that effluent nitrate concentration is dependent on maintaining anoxic conditions within the wetland so that denitrification can occur. He found that subsurface flow wetlands were superior to surface flow wetlands for nitrate removal. The 20 surface flow wetlands reviewed reported effluent nitrate levels below 5 mg/L; the 12 subsurface flow wetlands reviewed reported effluent nitrate ranging from <1 to < 10 mg/L. Results obtained from the Niagara-On-The-Lake vertical flow systems show a significant reduction in both total nitrogen and ammonia (> 97%) when primary treated effluent was applied at a rate of 60L/m²/day. Calculations made showed that over 50% of the total nitrogen going into the system was converted to relatively harmless nitrogen gas. Effective removal of nitrate from the sewage lagoon influent was dependent on medium type used within the vertical cell as well as water table level within the cell (Lemon et al.,1997).

Removal of phosphorus

Phosphorus
Phosphorus

Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. The name comes from the and . A Valency nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate minerals....
 occurs naturally in both organic and inorganic forms. The analytical measure of biologically available orthophosphates is referred to as soluble reactive phosphorus (SR-P). Dissolved organic phosphorus and insoluble forms of organic and inorganic phosphorus are generally not biologically available until transformed into soluble inorganic forms.

In freshwater aquatic ecosystem
Aquatic ecosystem

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem located in water bodies. Biocoenosis of biota that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems....
s phosphorus has been described as the major limiting nutrient. Under undisturbed natural conditions, phosphorus is in short supply. The natural scarcity of phosphorus is demonstrated by the explosive growth of algae
Algae

Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms. The largest and most complex marine forms are called seaweeds....
 in water receiving heavy discharges of phosphorus-rich wastes. Because phosphorus does not have an atmospheric component as does nitrogen, the phosphorus cycle can be characterized as closed. The removal and storage of phosphorus from wastewater can only occur within the constructed wetland itself. According to Mitsch and Gosselink phosphorus may be sequestered within a wetland system by the following:
  1. The binding of phosphorus in organic matter as a result of incorporation into living biomass,
  2. Precipitation of insoluble phosphates with ferric iron, calcium, and aluminum found in wetland soils.


Incorporation into biomass

Higher plants in wetland systems may be viewed as transient nutrient storage compartments absorbing nutrients during the growing season and releasing large amounts at senescence (Guntensbergen, 1989). Generally, plants from nutrient-rich habitats accumulate more nutrients than plants found in nutrient-poor habitats, a phenomenon referred to as luxury uptake of nutrients (Guntensbergen, 1989; Kadlec, 1989). Aquatic vegetation may play an important role in phosphorus removal and, if harvested, extend the life of a system by postponing phosphorus saturation of the sediments (Breen, 1990; Guntensbergen, 1989; Rogers et al., 1991). According to Sloey et al. (1978) vascular plants may account for only a small amount of phosphorus uptake with only 5 to 20% of the nutrients detained in a natural wetland being stored in harvestable plant material. Bernard and Solsky also reported relatively low phosphorus retention, estimating that a sedge
Carex

Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as Cyperaceaes . It is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as caricology....
 (Carex sp.) wetland retained 1.9 g of phosphorus per square metre of wetland. Bulrushes (Scirpus sp.) in a constructed wetland system receiving secondarily treated domestic wastes contained 40.5% of the total phosphorus influent. The remaining 59.0% was found to be stored in the gravel substratum (Sloey et al., 1978). Phosphorus removal in a surface flow wetland treatment system planted with one of Scirpus sp., Phragmites sp. or Typha sp. was investigated by Finlayson and Chick (1983).

Phosphorus removal of 60%, 28%, and 46% were found for Scirpus sp., Phragmites sp. and Typha sp. respectively. More recent work by Breen (1990) may prove this to be a low estimate. His work on an artificial wetland indicated that vascular plants are a major phosphorus storage compartment accounting for 67.3% of the influent phosphorus. Thut (1989) attributed plant adsorption with 80% phosphorus removal.

Only a small proportion (<20%) of phosphate removal by constructed wetlands can be attributed to nutritional uptake by bacteria, fungi and algae (Moss, 1988). Swindell et al., (1990) found that the lack of seasonal fluctuation in phosphorus removal rates suggests that the primary mechanism is bacterial and alga fixation. However, Richardson (1985) dismisses this mechanism as temporary saying that although the initial removal of dissolved inorganic phosphorus from the water under natural loading levels is due largely to microbial uptake and adsorption, the microbial pool is small and quickly becomes saturated at which point the soil medium takes over as the major contributor to phosphate removal.

There are more indirect ways in which plants contribute to wastewater purification. Plants create a unique environment at the attachment surface of the biofilm. Certain plants transport oxygen which is released at the biofilm/root interface perhaps adding oxygen to the wetland system (Pride et al., 1990). Plants also increase soil or other root-bed medium hydraulic conductivity. As roots and rhizomes grow they are thought to disturb and loosen the medium increasing its porosity which may allow more effective fluid movement in the rhizosphere. When roots decay they leave behind ports and channels known as macropores which are effective in channeling water through the soil (Conley et al., 1991).

Whether or not wetland systems act as a phosphorus sink or source seems to depend on system characteristics such as sediment and hydrology. Kramer et al., (1972) indicated that there seems to be a net movement of phosphorus into the sediment in many lakes. In Lake Erie as much as 80% of the total phosphorus is removed from the waters by natural processes and is presumably stored in the sediment. According to Klopatek (1978) marsh sediments high in organic matter act as sinks. He has also shown that phosphorus release from a marsh exhibits a cyclical pattern. Much of the spring phosphorus release comes from high phosphorus concentrations locked up in the winter ice covering the marsh; in summer the marsh acts as a phosphorus sponge. Simpson (1978) found that phosphorus was exported from the system following dieback of vascular plants. It has been demonstrated by Klopatek (1978) that phosphorus concentrations in water are reduced during the growing season due to plant uptake but decomposition and subsequent mineralisation of organic matter releases phosphorus over the winter and accounts for the higher winter phosphorus concentrations in the marsh (Klopatek, 1978;).

Phosphorus retention by soils or root-bed media

Two types of phosphate retention mechanisms may occur in soils or root-bed media: chemical adsorption onto the medium (Hsu, 1964) and physical precipitation of the phosphate ion (Faulkner and Richardson, 1989). Both result from the attraction between phosphate ion and ions of Al, Fe or Ca (Hsu, 1964; Cole et al., 1953) and terminates with formation of various iron phosphates (Fe-P), aluminum phosphates (Al-P) or calcium phosphates (Ca-P) (Fried and Dean, 1955).

Redox potential (Eh) of soil or water is a measure of its ability to reduce or oxidize chemical substances and may range between -300 and +300 millivolts (mV) (Hammer, 1992). Though the oxidation state of phosphorus is unaffected by redox reactions, the redox potential is important because of Fe reduction. Severely reduced conditions in the sediments may result in phosphorus release (Mann, 1990). Typical wetland soils may have an Eh of -200 mV (Hammer, 1992). Under these reduced conditions Fe3+ (Ferric iron) may be reduced to Fe2+ (Ferrous iron) and may release the bound phosphate ion back into solution (Faulkner and Richardson, 1989; Sah and Mikkelson, 1986). The introduction of oxygen causes the Fe2+ to be oxidized to Fe3+ producing a simultaneous reduction of phosphate. The solubility of phosphorus may be affected by the amount of oxygen present in the sediment because saturation by water and subsequent loss of oxygen generally cause wetland soils to have negative redox potentials (Hammer, 1992). A well documented occurrence in the hypolimnion of lakes is the release of soluble phosphorus when conditions become anaerobic (Burns & Ross, 1972; Williams & Mayer, 1972). This phenomenon also occurs in natural wetlands (Gosselink & Turner, 1978) and Kramer et al., (1972) report that oxygen concentrations of less than 2.0 mg/l result in the release of phosphorus from sediments.

Phosphorus removal in constructed wetlands used to treat domestic sewage

Adsorption to binding sites within the sediments was identified as the major phosphorus removal mechanism in the surface flow constructed wetland system at Port Perry, Ontario (Snell, unpublished data). Release of phosphorus from the sediments occurred when anaerobic conditions prevailed. The lowest wetland effluent phosphorus levels occurred when oxygen levels of the overlying water column were above 1.0 mg / L. Removal efficiencies for total phosphorus were 54-59% with mean effluent levels of 0.38 mg P/L. Wetland effluent phosphorus concentration was higher than influent levels during the winter months.

Lantzke et al., (1999) investigated phosphorus removal in a VF wetland in Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and found that the quantity of phosphorus removed over a short term was stored in the following wetland components in order of decreasing importance: substratum> macrophyte >biofilm but over the long term phosphorus storage was located in macrophyte> substratum>biofilm components. They also found that medium iron-oxide adsorption provides additional removal for some years.

Mann (1990) investigated the phosphorus removal efficiency of two large-scale, surface flow wetland systems in Australia which had a gravel substratum. He then compared these results to laboratory phosphorus adsorption experiments. For the first two months of wetland operation the mean phosphorus removal efficiency of system 1 and 2 was 38% and 22%, respectively. Over the first year a decline in removal efficiencies occurred. During the second year of operation release of phosphorus from the system was often recorded such that more phosphorus came out than was put in. This release was attributed to the saturation of phosphorus binding sites. Close agreement was found between the phosphorus adsorption capacity of the gravel as determined in the laboratory and the adsorption capacity recorded in the field.

The phosphorus adsorption capacity of a subsurface flow constructed wetland system containing a predominantly quartz gravel was investigated by Breen (1990). The adsorption characteristics of this gravel as determined by laboratory adsorption experiments and using the Langmuir adsorption isotherm was 25 mg P / g gravel. Close agreement between calculated and realized phosphorus adsorption was found. Because of the poor adsorption capacity of the quartz gravel, plant uptake and subsequent harvesting were identified as the major phosphorus removal mechanism.

Set-up of commercial treatment ponds/combined treatment ponds construction in urban areas

As previously mentioned, 3 types of reedbed-set ups are used. All these systems are used in commercial systems (usually together with septic tanks). The system again are:
  • Surface flow (SF) reedbeds
  • Sub Surface Flow (SSF) reedbeds
  • Vertical Flow (VF) reedbeds


All three types of reed beds are placed in a closed basin with a substrate. Also, for most commercial undertakings (eg agricultural enterprises), the bottom is covered with a rubber foil (to ensure that the whole is completely waterproof, which is essential in urban areas). The substrate can be either gravel
Gravel

Gravel is rock that is of a specific particle size range. Specifically, it is is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters in its largest dimension and no more than 64 millimeters ....
, sand
Sand

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.As the term is used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters....
 or lavastone.

Design characteristics of the commercial systems

Surface flow reed beds are characterised by the horizontal flow of wastewater between the roots of the plants. They are no longer used as much due to the land-area requirements to purify water for a single person (20 m²), and the increased smell and poor purification in winter.

With subsurface flow reedbeds, the flow of wastewater occurs between the roots of the plants itself (and not at the water surface). As a result the system is more efficient, less odorous and less sensitive to winter conditions. Also, less area is needed to purify water for a single person (5-10 m²). A downside to the system are the intakes, which can clog easily.

Vertical flow reed beds are very similar to subsurface flow reed beds (subsurface wastewater flow is present here as well), according comparable advantages in efficiency and winter hardiness. The wastewater is divided at the bottom with the assistance of a pump
Pump

A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as gases, liquids or Slurry. A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. One common misconception about pumps is the thought that they create pressure....
. Other than the 2 previous systems, this system makes almost exclusive use of fine sand
Sand

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.As the term is used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters....
 to increase bacteria counts. Intake of oxygen into the water is also better, and pumping is pulse
Pulse

In medicine, a person's pulse is the throbbing of their artery. It can be palpated in any place that allows for an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at the neck , at the wrist , behind the knee , on the inside of the elbow , and near the ankle joint ....
d to reduce obstructions within the intakes. Through the increased efficiency, only 3 m² of space is needed to purify the water for one person.

Plants/organisms used in treatment ponds in commercial undertakings

Usually, Common reed or Phragmites australis
Phragmites

Phragmites australis, the common reed, is a large perennial plant Poaceae found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world....
 are used in treatment ponds (eg in greywater treatment systems to purify wastewater). In self-purifying water reservoirs(used to purify rainwater) however, certain other plants are used as well. These reservoirs firstly need to be dimensioned to be filled with 1/4th of lavastone and water-purifying plants to purify a certain water quantity.

The water-purifying plants used include a wide variety of plants, depending on the local climate
Climate

Climate encompasses the temperatures, humidity, atmospheric pressure, winds, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and numerous other Meteorology elements in a given region over long periods of time, as opposed to the term weather, which refers to current activity of these same elements....
 and geographical location. Plants are usually chosen which are indigenous
Indigenous

Indigenous may refer to:*Indigenous peoples, population groups with ancestral connections to place prior to formally recorded history**Indigenous intellectual property, a legal term identifying the right to claim knowledge within their culture...
 in that location for ecological
Ecology

Ecology is the science study of the distribution and Abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their nature environment ....
 reasons and optimum workings of the system. In addition to water-purifying (de-nutrifying) plants, plants that supply oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
, and shade
Shade

Shade is the blocking of sunlight by any object, and also the shadow created by that object. Shade also consists of the colors grey, black,white, etc....
 are also added in to allow a complete ecosystem
Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical factors of the environment....
 to form. Finally, in addition to plants, locally grown bacteria
Bacteria

The Bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals....
 and non-predatory fish are also added to eliminate pests. The bacteria are usually grown locally by submerging straw
Straw

Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry wikt:stalk of a cereal plant, after the grain or seed has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat....
 in water and allowing it to form bacteria (arriving from the surrounding atmosphere
Atmosphere

An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, by the gravity of the body, and are retained for a longer duration if gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low....
). The plants used (placed on an area 1/4th of the water mass) are divided in 4 separate water depth-zones; knowingly:

  1. A water-depth zone from 0-20cm; Iris pseudacorus
    Iris pseudacorus

    Iris pseudacorus is a species of iris , native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa. Common names include yellow iris and yellow flag....
    , Sparganium erectum
    Sparganium

    Sparganium is a genus of flowering plants, containing about 20 species in temperate regions of both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemispheres....
    , ... may be placed here (temperate climates)
  2. A water-depth zone from 40-60cm; Stratiotes aloides
    Stratiotes

    Stratiotes is a genus of submerged aquatic plant commonly known as water soldiers. A characteristic of the genus is the habit of the plants rising to the surface at flowering time....
    , Hydrocharis morsus-ranae
    Hydrocharis

    Hydrocharis is a genus of aquatic plants within the family Hydrocharitaceae.The best known species is Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, commonly called common or European frogbit, and occasionally water-poppy....
    , ... may be placed here (temperate climates)
  3. A water-depth zone from 60-120cm; Nymphea alba, ... my be placed here (temperate climates)
  4. A submerged water-depth zone; Myriophyllum spicatum
    Myriophyllum

    Myriophyllum is a genus of about 45 species of freshwater aquatic plants, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Its name comes from Latin, "myrio" meaning "too many to count", and "phyllum", meaning "leaf"....
    , ... may be placed here (temperate climates)


Finally, 3 types of (non-predatory) fish (surface; bottom and ground-swimmers) are chosen. This is to ensure that the fish may 'get along'. Examples of the 3 types of fish (for temperate climates) are:

  • Surface swimming fish: Leuciscus leuciscus, Leuciscus idus, Scardinius erythrophthalmus, ...
  • Middle-swimmers: Rutilus rutilus, ...
  • Bottom-swimming fish: Tinca tinca, ...


The plants are usually grown on coconut
Coconut

The Coconut Palm is a member of the Family Arecaceae . It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaf 4-6 m long, pinnae 60-90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly leaving the trunk smooth....
 fibre growing medium. At the time of implantation to water-purifying ponds, de-nutrified soil is used to prevent the possible growth of algae
Algae

Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms. The largest and most complex marine forms are called seaweeds....
 and unwanted organisms.

Finishing

Finally, also worth mentioning are the hybrid systems. These are systems that for example aerate the water after the final reedbed using cascades such as Flowforms before holding the water in a shallow pond. Also, primary treatments as septic tanks, and different types of pumps as grinder pump
Grinder pump

A grinder pump is a waste management device. Waste from water-using household appliances flows through the home?s pipes into the grinder pump?s holding tank....
s may also be added.

Literature citations


  • Bhamidimarri, R. and A. Shilton and I. Armstrong and P. Jacobsen and D. Scarlet. 1991. Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment: the New Zealand experience. Wat. Sci. Tech. 24:247-253.


Bowmer, K.H. 1987. Nutrient removal from effluents by an artificial wetland: influence of rhizosphere aeration and preferential flow studied using bromide and dye tracers. Wat. Res. 21:591-599.

Brix, H. and H. Schierup. 1989. Danish experience with sewage treatment in constructed wetlands. Pp.565-573. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Breen, P.F. 1990. A mass balance method for assessing the potential of artificial wetlands for wastewater treatment. Wat. Res. 24:689-697.

Brix, Hans. 1994. Use of constructed wetlands in water pollution control: Historical development, present status, and future perspectives. Wat. Sci. Tech. Vol. 30 No. 8. pp. 209 - 223.

Burgoon, P.S. and K.R. Reddy and T.A. DeBusk. 1989. Domestic wastewater treatment using emergent plants cultured in gravel and plastic substrates. Pp.536-541. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Burgoon, P.S. and K.R. Reddy and T.A. DeBusk. 1991. Vegetated submerged beds with artificial substrates. II: N and P removal. Journ of Env. Eng. 117 # 4 :408 - 422.

Burns, N.M. and C. Ross. 1972. Oxygen-nutrient relationships within the central basin of lake Erie. Pp.193-250. In Nutrients in natural waters. John Wiley and Sons, Toronto.

Cole, C.V. and S.R. Olsen and C.O. Scott. 1953. The nature of phosphate sorption by calcium carbonate. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 410:352-356.

Conway, T.E. and J. M. Murtha. 1989. The Iselin marsh pond meadow. Pp. 139- 140. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Davies, T.H. and B.T. Hart. 1990. Use of aeration to promote nitrification in reed beds treating wastewater. Adv. Wat. Poll. Control. 11:77-84.

Faulkner, S.P. and C.J. Richardson. 1989. Physical and chemical characteristics of freshwater wetland soils. Pp. 41-131. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Finlayson, M.C. and A.J. Chick. 1983. Testing the significance of aquatic plants to treat abattoir effluent. Wat. Res. 17:15-422.

Fried, M. and L.A. Dean. 1955. Phosphate retention by iron and aluminum in cation exchange systems. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. __: 143- 47.

Gosselink, J.G. and R.E. Turner. 1978. The role of hydrology in freshwater wetland ecosystems. Pp.63-78. Freshwater wetlands, ecological processes and management potential. R.E. Good, and D.F. Whigham, R.L. Simpson, eds. Academic press, New York.

Guntensbergen, G.R. and F. Stearns, and J.A. Kadlec. 1989. Wetland vegetation. Pp.73-88. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Hammer, D.A. 1992. Creating freshwater wetlands. Lewis publishers, Inc. Chelsea, MI. p. 298.

Hammer, D.A. and R.K. Bastion. 1989. Wetlands ecosystems: Natural water purifiers? Pp.5-20. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Herskowitz, J. 1986. Listowell artificial marsh project report. Ontario Ministry of the Environment project no. 128 RR, p. 253.

Hammer, D.A. and R.K. Bastian. Wetland ecosystems: Natural water purifiers? Pp. 5- 20. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Hsu, P.H. 1964. Adsorption of phosphate by aluminum and iron in soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Proc. 9:474-478.

Jenssen, P.D., T. Maehlum, T. Zhu and W.S. Warner. 1992. Cold-climate constructed wetlands. JORDFORSK Centre for Soil and Environmental Research, N-1432 Aas, Norway.

Kadlec, R.H. 1989. Hydrologic factors in wetland water treatment. Pp. 21- 40. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Kadlec, R. H. 1995. Wetland treatment at Listowel (revisited). unpublished.

Klopatek, J.M. 1978. Nutrient dynamics of Freshwater Riverine marshes and the role of emergent macrophytes. Pp.195-217. In Freshwater wetlands, ecological processes and management potential. R.E. Good, and D.F. Whigham, R.L. Simpson, eds. Academic Press, New York.

Kotz, J.C. and K.F. Purcell. 1987. Chemistry and chemical reactivity. CBS College Publishing. New York, N.Y.G1

Kramer, J.R., and S.E. Herbes, and H.E. Allen. 1972. Phosphorus: analysis of water, biomass, and sediment. Pp.51-101. In Nutrients in natural waters. John Wiley and Sons, Toronto.

Lantzke, I.R., D.S. Mitchell, A.D. Heritage and K.P. Sharma. 1999. A model controlling orthophosphate removal in planted vertical flow wetlands. Ecological Engineering. 12:93-105.

Lemon, E. R. and I.D. Smith.1993. Sewage waste amendment marsh process (SWAMP). Interim report, October, 1993. Unpublished.

Lemon, E.R., G. Bis., T Braybrook, L. Rozema and I. Smith. 1997. . Sewage waste amendment marsh process (SWAMP). Final report.

Mann, R.A. 1990. Phosphorus removal by constructed wetlands: substratum adsorption. Adv Wat. Poll. Control. 11:97-105.

Moss, B. 1988. Ecology of freshwater. Blackball Scientific Publishers, London. 417p.

Nichols, D.S. and D.H. Boelter. 1982. Treatment of secondary sewage with a peat-sand filter bed. J. Environ. Qual. Vol. 11, No. 1.

Niering, W.A. 1988. Wetlands: Audubon society nature guide. Random House of Canada Limited. Toronto. p. 638.

Ontario Ministry of the Environment. 1994. Storm water management practices planning and design manual. Queen's Printer for Ontario. O.B.C. - Ontario Building Code Act, S.O. 1992, c.23, Part 8, Sewage Systems pp. 8-14.

Rozema, L.R. , G.N. Bis, T. Braybrook, E, R, Lemon and I. Smith. 1996. Retention of phosphorus in a Sub-surface flow constructed wetland. Presented at: The 31st central Canadian symposium on water pollution research, Burlington, Ontario.

Reddy, K.R. and W.F. DeBusk. 1987. Nutrient storage capabilities of aquatic and wetland plants. In Aquatic plants for water treatment and resource recovery. K.R. Reddy and W.H. Smith (Eds.). Magnolia Publishing Inc.

Reed, S.C. 1986. Wetlands as effluent treatment systems. Pp. 207-219. In Appropriate Wastewater Management Technologies for Rural Areas Under Adverse Conditions. Tech Press. Halifax, N.S.

Reed, S.C. 1991. Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment. BioCycle, January:44-49.

Reed, S.C. 1995. Natural systems for waste management and treatment. McGraw Hill, Inc.

Reed, S.C. and D. Brown. 1995. Subsurface flow wetlands - a performance evaluation. Wat. Env. Res. 67:244 - 248.

Rogers, K.H. and P.F. Breen, and A.J. Chick. 1991. Nitrogen removal in experimental wetland treatment systems: evidence for the role of aquatic plants. Res. J. Water Polit.. Control Fed. 63:934-941.

Sah, R.N. and D. Mikkelson. 1986. Transformations of inorganic phosphorus during the flooding and draining cycles of soil. Am. J. Soil Soc.50: 62-67.

Simpson, R.L. and D.F. Whigham. 1978. Seasonal patterns of nutrient movement in a freshwater tidal marsh. Pp.243-257. In Freshwater wetlands, ecological processes and management potential. R.E. Good, and D.F. Whigham, R.L. Simpson, eds. Academic Press, New York.

Sloey, W.E. and F.L. Spangler, and C.W. Fetter, Jr. 1978. Management of freshwater wetlands For nutrient assimilation. Pp. 321-340. In Freshwater wetlands, ecological processes and management potential. R.E. Good, and D.F. Whigham, R.L. Simpson, eds. Academic Press, New York.

Smith, I. G.N. Bis, E.R. Lemon and L.R. Rozema. 1997. A thermal analysis of a vertical flow constructed wetland. Wat. Sci. Tech. 35:55-62.

Snell, D. 1990. Port Perry artificial marsh sewage treatment system. unpublished report.

Steiner, R.S. and R.J. Freeman. Configuration and substrate design considerations for constructed wetlands wastewater treatment. Pp.363-377. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Tanner, C. C., J. S. Clayton and M.P. Upsdell. 1995. Effect of loading rate and planting on treatment of dairy farm wastewater’s in constructed wetlands - II. removal of nitrogen phosphorus. Wat. Res. 29:27-34.

Thut, N.R. 1989. Utilisation of artificial marshes for treatment of pulp mill effluents, Pp.239-251. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

United States environmental protection agency. 1988. Design manual: constructed wetlands and aquatic plant systems for municipal wastewater treatment. EPA/625/1- 88/022. p. 83.

Watson, J.T., and S.C. Reed, and R.H. Kadlec, and R.L. Knight, and A.E. Whitehouse. Performance expectations and loading rates for constructed wetlands. Pp.319-353. In Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. D.A. Hammer, ed. Lewis publishers, Chelsea, Michigan.

Weber, L.R. 1990. Ontario soils. Physical, chemical and biological properties and soil management practices. By the Faculty and Staff of the Department of Land Resources Science. Ontario Agricultural College. University of Guelph. Guelph, Ontario. A reprint of Ontario Soils.

Williams, J.D.H. and T. Mayer. 1972. Effects of sediment diagenesis and regeneration of phosphorus with special reference to lakes Erie and Ontario. Pp. 281-315. In Nutrients in natural waters. John Wiley and Sons, Toronto.

See also

  • Biofilter
    Biofilter

    Biofiltration is a pollution control technique using living material to capture and biologically degrade process pollutants. Common uses include processing waste water, capturing harmful chemicals or silt from surface runoff, and Microbiology oxidation of contaminants in air....
  • Bioswale
    Bioswale

    Bioswales are Landscape architecture elements designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water. They consist of a wikt:swale drainage course with gently sloped sides and filled with vegetation, compost and/or riprap....
  • Ecological sanitation
    Ecological sanitation

    Ecological sanitation, also known as ecosan or eco-san, is a new paradigm in sanitation that recognises human excreta and household wastewater not as waste but as resources that can and are recovered, treated , and reused....
  • Folkewall
    Folkewall

    Inspired by Dr G?sta Nilsson's "Sanitas wall" at the Sanitas farm in Botswana, this technique makes an efficient use of space by fulfilling on its own two essential functions: a mutually beneficial system allies vertical plant growing and the Water purification of greywater....
  • John Todd (biologist)
    John Todd (biologist)

    Dr. John Todd is a Buckminster Fuller 2008 Challenge-winning biologist working in the field of ecology design. His ideas often involve applications that make use of alternative technology....
  • Reedbed
  • Lava filter
    Lava filter

    A lava filter is a biological filter that uses lavastone pebbles as support material on which microorganisms can grow in a thin biofilm. This community of microorganisms, known as the periphyton break down the odor components in the air, such as hydrogen sulfide....
  • Beaver pond


External links

  • a wiki on wetland restoration for habitat and treatment
  • a Canadian company specializing in the design and installation of constructed wetlands, contains actual performance data and project descriptions.
  • moderated by Greg Gearheart and Bob Gearheart
    Robert A. Gearheart

    Robert A. Gearheart is an emeritus professor of Environmental Engineering at Humboldt State University, in Arcata, California.Dr. Gearheart teaches courses in environmental impact assessment, hazardous waste management and water quality management....
    .
  • - resources on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency? site.
  • Constructed wetlands in Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia.
  • Federal Park Wetlands, Annandale, NSW, Australia.
  • Whites Creek Wetland, Lilyfield NSW, Australia.