Pathogen removal from domestic and swine wastewater by experimental constructed wetlands

Advanced oxidation process (AOP) combined biological process for wastewater treatment: A review on advancements, feasibility and practicability of combined techniques

Complexity of wastewater is the most challenging phenomenon on successful degradation of pollutant via any wastewater treatment regime. Upon availability of numerous techniques, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) is the most promising technique for treating industrial wastewater. Higher operating cost is the most promising factor that possess challenge for the industrial scale usage of the AOP process. Combination of biological process with AOP helps in achieving sustainable degradation of toxic pollutant in the wastewater. AOP result in complete or partial degradation of toxic emerging pollutants with the help of free radicals like hydroxyl, superoxide, hydroperoxyl and sulphate radicals. In addition to this the presence of bio-enzymes and microorganisms helps in sustainable degradation of pollutant in an economical and environmentally friendly strategy. In this review, a detailed discussion was conducted on various AOP, focusing on catalytic ozonation, electrochemical oxidation, Sono chemical and photocatalytic processes. With the need for sustainable solutions for wastewater treatment, the use of AOP in conjunction with biological process has innumerous opportunities for not only wastewater treatment but also the production of high value by-products. Further, the effect of AOP combined biological processes needs to be analyzed in real time for the different concentration of industrial wastewater and their benefits needs to be explored in future towards achieving SDGs.

Removing chemical and biological pollutants from swine wastewater through constructed wetlands aiming reclaimed water reuse

Reusing reclaimed wastewater is needed to fight water scarcity, reduce freshwater consumption and conserve water resources, but one must ensure that hazardous substances are fully removed/eliminate before that reuse. The potential of lab-scale constructed wetlands (CWs) for the removal of chemical and biological contaminants from livestock wastewater, while maintaining nutrient levels for fertilization, was assessed, evaluating changes in microbial communities, with particular focus on potential pathogens. CW microcosms with two different substrates (lava rock or light expanded clay aggregate), both planted with Phragmites australis, were tested. After 15 days of treatment, removal rates were higher than 80% for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn, in general with no significant differences between the two different substrates. Organic matter and nutrients were also removed but their levels still allowed the used of the treated wastewater as a fertilizer Removal of bacterial contamination was estimated through enumeration of cultivable bacteria. High removal rates of fecal indicator bacteria were observed, reaching >95% for enterococci and >98% for enterobacteria after 15 days of treatment, decreasing hazardous biological contaminants initially present in the wastewater. In addition, the microbial communities in the initial and treated wastewater, and in the plant roots bed substrate, were characterized by using 16SrRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Microbial communities in the CW systems showed a clear shift comparatively with the initial wastewater showing system adaptation and removal potentialities. This also revealed an important removal of the most represented potential pathogenic genus, Clostridium, which relative abundance decreased from 33% to 1% through the treatment. Overall, CWs showed potential to be efficient in removing chemical and biological contaminants, while maintaining moderated levels of nutrients, allowing the reuse of reclaimed water in agriculture, namely as fertilizer. Current results will contribute for the optimization and use of CWs for a sustainable treatment of liquid wastes, promoting the circular economy.

Plant Biomass Production in Constructed Wetlands Treating Swine Wastewater in Tropical Climates

The production of both aboveground and belowground plant biomass in constructed wetlands (CW) is a poorly understood topic, although vegetation plays an important role in the process of pollutant removal from wastewater. The objective of this study was to evaluate the aboveground and belowground biomass production of Typha latifolia and Canna hybrids in a large-scale constructed wetland treating swine wastewater in tropical climates. Parameters, such as temperature, DO, pH, COD, TSS, TN, TP, and TC, as well as destructive and non-destructive biomass, were evaluated. It was found that, despite the high concentrations of pollutants, the vegetation adapted easily and also grew healthily despite being exposed to high concentrations of pollutants from swine water. Although Typha latifolia (426 plants) produced fewer plants than Canna hybrids (582 plants), the higher biomass of the Typha latifolia species was slightly higher than that of Canna hybrids by 5%. On the other hand, the proximity of the water inlet to the system decreased the capacity for the development of a greater number of seedlings. As for the elimination of pollutants, after treatment in the constructed wetland, COD: 83.6 ± 16.9%; TSS: 82.2 ± 17.7%; TN: 94.4 ± 15.8%; TP: 82.4 ± 23.2%; and TC: 94.4 ± 4.4% were significantly reduced. These results show that wetlands constructed as tertiary systems for the treatment of swine wastewater produce a large amount of plant biomass that significantly helps to reduce the concentrations of pollutants present in this type of water in tropical areas. The use of these plants is recommended in future wetland designs to treat swine wastewater.

Removal of Pathogens in Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems: A Review of Design Considerations and Influencing Factors

Conventional onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) could potentially contribute to the transmission of infectious diseases caused by waterborne pathogenic microorganisms and become an important human health concern, especially in the areas where OWTSs are used as the major wastewater treatment units. Although previous studies suggested the OWTSs could reduce chemical pollutants as well as effectively reducing microbial contaminants from onsite wastewater, the microbiological quality of effluents and the factors potentially affecting the removal are still understudied. Therefore, the design and optimization of pathogen removal performance necessitate a better mechanistic understanding of the hydrological, geochemical, and biological processes controlling the water quality in OWTSs. To fill the knowledge gaps, the sources of pathogens and common pathogenic indicators, along with their major removal mechanisms in OWTSs were discussed. This review evaluated the effectiveness of pathogen removal in state-of-art OWTSs and investigated the contributing factors for efficient pathogen removal (e.g., system configurations, filter materials, environmental and operational conditions), with the aim to guide the future design for optimized treatment performance.

Hybrid constructed wetlands as post-treatment of blackwater: An assessment of the removal of antibiotics

New sanitation systems have been developed to treat, recover energy and nutrients, and permit reuse processes at the source of generation, minimizing water use and flow segregation. Thus, this study was carried out with the objective of evaluating the potential of hybrid constructed wetlands in the removal of organic matter, nutrients, pathogenic microorganisms, and 12 antibiotics from blackwater previously treated by an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. A hybrid system of constructed wetlands was used, comprised of a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland with a total volume of 0.60 m³ followed by a vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland with a total volume of 0.20 m³. Three different hydraulic retention times were comparatively tested (1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 days for the horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland, and 1.1, 0.9, and 0.4 days for the vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland) in four distinct stages. The plant species used was Canna x generalis. The results from this study demonstrate the potential of constructed wetlands as a suitable technology for post-treatment of segregated domestic wastewater (anaerobically-digested blackwater). Efficient reduction of COD, BOD₅, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus (74, 93, 50, and 61%, respectively) was achieved, with a hydraulic retention time of 3.0 and 1.1 days for horizontal and vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland, respectively (stage IV). The presence of ciprofloxacin was confirmed by chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis in an average concentration of 442.6 ng.L^-1 at the inflow of the horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland, but was not observed at the outflow.

Comparative study on the performance of Typha latifolia and Cyperus Papyrus on the removal of heavy metals and enteric bacteria from wastewater by surface constructed wetlands

Semi-arid countries continue to face water scarcity, especially with the current global climatic changes. This scarcity has continuously increased over the last five decades in countries like Egypt, Syria, Libya and Jordan, where the agriculture sector consumes more than 85% of the country's water resources. The problem of water scarcity in Egypt is further challenged by high levels of urbanization, increasing industrial uses, and the high cost of advanced treatment processes. These challenges lead to the utilization of untreated or poorly treated wastewater for irrigation of agricultural crop fields. Thus, the current study proposes the use of an eco-friendly technology consisting of a constructed wetland planted with Typha latifolia and Cyperus papyrus supported with zeolite substrate for water purification, to curb this challenge. The results showed that, the removal efficiency of COD, BOD, TSS, and ammonia were 68.5%, 71%, 70%, and 82.3%, respectively by Typha latifolia bed. On the other hand, the removal efficiency of COD, BOD, TSS and ammonia were 85.5%, 86.2%, 83.9% and 92.3% respectively by Cyperus papyrus bed. As a result, bacteriological parameters were reduced to 99.9%, and complete removal of Salmonella sp was achieved during three days by Cyperus papyrus. Box-Behnken design was utilized to optimize independent factors, including contact time (24-72h) and initial concentration of metals (15-45 mg L^-1) and their responses. The removal efficiency of Cu and Zn were 72% and 84%, respectively of the optimum reaction time (72 h), with 16 plant stems and an initial metal concentration of 15 mg L^-1.

Microalgal and duckweed based constructed wetlands for swine wastewater treatment: A review

Constructed wetlands for swine wastewater treatment have been one of the most exciting research topics. Usually hydrophytes based constructed wetlands could not adapt well to high concentration of ammonia nitrogen in swine wastewater, while microalgal and duckweed based constructed wetlands are promising for the nutrient removal. In this critical review, the important roles of microalgae and duckweeds played in wastewater treatment in constructed wetlands were first summarized. Performances including biomass growth, nutrient removal capacities and mechanisms of microalgal and duckweed based constructed wetlands were reviewed for swine wastewater treatment. Challenges for the applications of constructed wetlands including microalgal and duckweed based ones were discussed which includes a better understanding and utilization of synergistic effects among microalgae and duckweeds, difficulty and costs in harvesting biomass, applications in various field conditions including low temperatures, and selections of various types of microalgal and duckweed species. Future research needs were also proposed accordingly.

Sustainable livestock wastewater treatment via phytoremediation: Current status and future perspectives

Phytoremediation, the application of vegetation and microorganisms for recovery of nutrients and decontamination of the environment, has emerged as a low-cost, eco-friendly, and sustainable approach compared to traditional biological and physico-chemical processes. Livestock wastewater is one of the most severe pollution sources to the environment and water resources. When properly handled, livestock wastewater could be an important alternative water resource in water-scarce regions. This review discussed the characteristics and hazards of different types of livestock wastewater and available methods for the treatment. Meanwhile, the current status of investigations on phytoremediation of livestock wastewater via different hydrophyte systems such as microalgae, duckweed, water hyacinth, constructed wetlands, and other hydrophytes is reviewed, and the utilization of hydrophytes after management is also discussed. Furthermore, advantages and limitations on livestock wastewater management via phytotechnologies are emphasized. At last, future research needs are also proposed.

Constructed wetland for wastewater reuse: Role and efficiency in removing enteric pathogens

Water stress has become a perennial concern in most of the developing countries due to rapid urbanization and population growth. As the growing population requires more fresh water and better ways for wastewater disposal, the demand for wastewater reclamation has increased drastically in recent years. Wastewater, either raw or treated, is being widely used for agricultural irrigation in developing countries, which cause a serious threat to human health mainly because of its pathogenic content. One of the alternative methods to treat wastewater and make it reusable for agricultural irrigation is to implement constructed wetland (CW); a sustainable and cost-effective technology that is applicable for the elimination of both pollutants and pathogens from wastewater. Despite its wide application, the role of macrophytes that form an integral part of CW and specific mechanisms involved in pathogen removal by them is still barely understood due to complexities involved and influencing factors. This has, therefore, attracted various scientific studies to reveal further functional mechanisms involved in vegetated CW to increase its proficiencies. This review paper illustrates the comparative studies of different CW and their pathogen removal efficiencies with major emphasis on macrophytes involved and factors influencing related mechanism. Further, the paper also covers detailed information on the enteric pathogens present in wastewater and the associated health risks involved in its reuse. The ultimate objective is to further clarify the role of CW in enteric pathogen removal and its efficiency for wastewater purification in perspective with safe reuse in agriculture.