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Development of a Novel Multi-soil Layer Constructed Wetland Treating Septic Tank Effluent with Emphasis on Organic and Ammonia Removals

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Abstract

A multi-soil layer vertical flow constructed wetland (MSL-VFCW) was developed as an innovative soil-based system for wastewater treatment. The goal of this research was to employ the MSL-VFCW, as a novel technique for treating septic tank effluent. These experimental units were operated for 3 months by continuous feeding with the septic tank effluent at the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 10 h (MSL-VFCW1), 20 h (MSL-VFCW2), and 36 h (MSL-VFCW3), while a control unit was operated at on HRT of 20 h (VFCW4). The experimental results revealed that the highest treatment performance the MSL-VFCW units was found when operated at the HRT of 36 h which could obtain total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD), 5-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5), and NH3–N removal efficiencies greater than 94% (p < 0.05). The multi-soil layers used in the MSL-VFCW unit were found to support microbial growth responsible for organic and NH3–N removals. The abundance and dominance of microbial clusters in the MSL-VFCW analyzed by using Miseq sequencing revealed that the percent abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in MSL layers were higher than the CW layer, resulting in higher in NH3–N removal efficiency. TCOD, BOD5, and NH3–N removals in the MSL-VFCW unit could be explained by first-order completely mixed model with k20 values of 1.42, 1.54, and 10.33 day−1, respectively, higher than the values reported for other constructed wetland system which suggested the applicability of the developed techniques for wastewater treatment.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management, Chulalongkorn University, for molecular analysis supports.

Funding

This research was financially supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [grant number OPP1029022].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Engineering and Management, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathum Thani, Thailand

    T. Koottatep, P. Suksiri & T. Pussayanavin

  2. Faculty of Science, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand

    T. Pussayanavin

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand

    C. Polprasert

Authors
  1. T. Koottatep
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  2. P. Suksiri
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  3. T. Pussayanavin
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  4. C. Polprasert
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Correspondence to T. Pussayanavin.

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Koottatep, T., Suksiri, P., Pussayanavin, T. et al. Development of a Novel Multi-soil Layer Constructed Wetland Treating Septic Tank Effluent with Emphasis on Organic and Ammonia Removals. Water Air Soil Pollut 229, 258 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-018-3907-x

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