title: Towards the development of a novel construction solid waste (CSW) based constructed wetland system for tertiary treatment of secondary sewage effluents.
abstract: This study was conducted to examine the possibility of using construction solid waste (CSW), an inevitable by-product of the construction and demolition process, as the main substrate in a laboratory scale multi-stage constructed wetland system (CWs) to improve phosphorus (P) removal from secondary sewage effluent. A tidal-flow operation strategy was employed to enhance the wetland aeration. This will stimulate aerobic biological processes and benefit the organic pollutants decomposition and nitrification process for ammoniacal-nitrogen (NH(+)(4)-N) removal. The results showed that the average P concentration in the secondary sewage effluent was reduced from 1.90 mg-P/L to 0.04 mg-P/L. CSW presents excellent P removal performance. The average NH(+)(4)-N concentration was reduced from 9.94 mg-N/L to 1.0 mg-N/L through nitrification in the system. The concentration of resultant nitrite and nitrate in the effluent of the CSW based CWs ranged from 0.1 to 2.4 mg-N/L and 0.01 to 0.8 mg-N/L, respectively. The outcome of this study has shown that CSW can be successfully used to act as main substrate in CWs. The application of CSW based CWs on improving N and P removals from secondary sewage effluent presents a win-win scenario. Such the reuse of CSW will benefit both the CSW disposal and nutrient control from wastewater. More significantly, such the application can transfer the CSW from a 'waste' to 'useful' material and can ease the pressure of construction waste solid management. Meanwhile, the final effluent from the CSW-based CWs can be used as non-potable water source in landscape irrigation, agriculture and industrial process.
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, PR China. yangyongzhe@xauat.edu.cn
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Y Q
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: X C
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Y X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: X C
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000641:Ammonia / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D003031:Coal; D003252:Construction Materials; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D010758:Phosphorus; D000641:Ammonia; D009584:Nitrogen