Cadmium Removal from Wastewater in Constructed Wetlands

Mathematical modeling of cadmium removal in free water surface constructed wetlands

A mathematical model was developed for the cadmium removal process in the free water surface (FWS) constructed wetlands using a dynamic software program STELLA. Earlier, laboratory-scale experiments were conducted at the Suranaree University of Technology Campus in Northeastern Thailand to investigate the effect of high cadmium loading on the performance of FWS constructed wetlands under different environmental conditions. The predicted values of cadmium concentrations in effluents as well as in various components of the FWS constructed wetlands system, as simulated by the developed and calibrated model, had a good agreement with the experimental results. Thus, the mathematical model developed in this study could be used to explain the cadmium removal process in the FWS constructed wetlands. Hence, it could also be used to predict the fate of cadmium in the industrial effluents treated in FWS constructed wetlands system.

Enhanced arsenic removals through plant interactions in subsurface-flow constructed wetlands

Arsenic (As) removal in pilot-scale subsurface-flow constructed wetlands (CWs) was investigated by comparing between CW units with vetiver grasses (CWplanted) and CW units without vetiver grasses (CWunplanted) in order to determine the roles of vetiver grasses affecting As removal. Based on the data obtained from 147 days of experiment, it is apparent that CWplanted units could remove As significantly higher than those of CWunplanted units with approximately 7-14%. Although analysis of As mass balance in CW units revealed that only 0.5-1.0% of total As was found in vetiver grasses, the As retained within bed of the CWplanted units (23.6-29.7 g) was higher than those in the CWunplanted units (21.3-26.8 g) at the end of the experiment, illustrating the effect of vetiver grasses on As accumulation in the CW units. Determination of As in different fractions in the CW bed suggested that the main mechanism of As retention was due mainly to As entrapment into the porous of bed materials (50-57% of total fraction), this mechanism is likely not affected by the presence of vetiver grasses. However, fraction of As-bound in organic matters that could be released from plant roots decomposition indicated the increase adsorption capacity of CW bed. In addition, organic sulfides produced from their root decomposition could help remove As through the precipitation/co-precipitation process. Under reducing condition in those CWplanted units, As could be leached out in the form of iron and manganese-bound complexes.

Long-term performance of subsurface-flow constructed wetlands treating Cd wastewater

This study was conducted to investigate the long-term performance of subsurface-flow constructed wetland (SFCW) units treating a wastewater containing cadmium (Cd). The hydraulic retention time (HRT) was found to have significant effects on the SFCW performance, especially on Cd removal. During the 320 days of Cd feeding, the HRTs of 1, 3, 5 and 8 days resulted in the Cd removal efficiencies of 50, 90, 99 and 99%, respectively. The actual Cd breakthrough times in the SFCW effluent were found to be longer than the theoretical values calculated from the maximum adsorption capacities only, especially at the HRTs longer than 1 day, and were dependent on the operating HRT and Cd loading. Other mechanisms such as filtration, sedimentation and plant uptake were also responsible for Cd removal in the SFCW beds. The extents of Cd plant uptake were 21 and 6% of the Cd inputs for the SFCW units operating at the HRTs of 3 and 1 days, respectively. Based on Cd mass balance and fractionation analysis, the SFCW media were found to be most effective in Cd removal through adsorption of the residual and Fe/Mn oxide bound fractions. The results of this long-term study re-affirmed the necessity to determine actual breakthrough times of Cd or other heavy metals in the SFCW effluent which are dependent on HRT and Cd loading and are usually longer than the theoretical values calculated from the maximum adsorption capacity only.