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Evaluation of Pilot-Scale Constructed Wetlands with Phragmites karka for Phytoremediation of Municipal Wastewater and Biomass Production in Ethiopia

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Abstract

A pilot horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSFCW) was constructed, covered with geomembrane, and packed with gravel as substrate. Phragmites karka was planted in one cell and the other cell was left unplanted. The experiment was carried out over a 3-year period at two hydraulic loading rates (HLRs): 0.025 m/d and 0.05 m/d. The aim of the study was to evaluate the phytoremediation and biomass production potential of Phragmites karka for municipal wastewater treatment to remove chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP). The highest average COD, TN, and TP removal performances attained were 94.1%, 97.3%, and 89.9%, respectively, at HLR of 0.025 m/d, and 90.4%, 86.8%, and 88.5%, respectively, at HLR of 0.05 m/d. COD, TN, and TP removal performances were considerably higher in the planted HSSFCW than in the unplanted (p < 0.05). The study found: a progressive increase in plant density, from 3 ± 1 to 113 ± 43 shoots per m2; an increase in plant height (erect), from 8 to 365 cm; and growth of the running stem of P. karka (stolon) to 16 m after 16 months. The maximum nutrient content and nutrient accumulation of the above-ground biomass of P. karka recorded were 78.7 gN/kg DW and 21.6 gP/kg DW, and 2014.7 gN/m2 and 550.4 gP/m2 throughout the experimental period. The findings from the experiments showed the successful performance of the HSSFCW cell planted with P. karka for the treatment of municipal wastewater. P. karka demonstrated high biomass production and high nutrient removal performance. We conclude that scaling up this pilot HSSFCW has great potential for treating municipal wastewater in Ethiopia and other low-income countries with similar climatic conditions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Ethiopian Institute of Water Resources, Addis Ababa University (AAU), which supervised the financial support provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Research Fund for International Young Scientists (Grant Agreement No: W/5799-1). The authors are also thankful to the Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority for allowing the pilot-scale constructed wetland system on the premises of its wastewater treatment plant and the laboratory facilities. The authors also acknowledge the University of Connecticut for access to its electronic library and Ann Byers for editing the English language manuscript at short notice.

Funding

This work was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Research Fund for International Young Scientists (Grant Agreement No: W/5799–1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ethiopian Institute of Water Resources, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Kenatu Angassa

  2. Center for Environmental Science, College of Natural Science, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Seyoum Leta

  3. Department of Environmental Health, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia

    Worku Mulat

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Helmut Kloos

  5. Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Erik Meers

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  1. Kenatu Angassa
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  2. Seyoum Leta
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The first author conducted experiments in the field and wrote the manuscript. The other authors supervised the experimental site and structured, read, edited, and approved the final manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kenatu Angassa.

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Angassa, K., Leta, S., Mulat, W. et al. Evaluation of Pilot-Scale Constructed Wetlands with Phragmites karka for Phytoremediation of Municipal Wastewater and Biomass Production in Ethiopia. Environ. Process. 6, 65–84 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-019-00358-x

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