Purification capacity of a highly loaded laboratory scale tidal flow reed bed system with effluent recirculation

Yaqian Zhao, Guangzhi Sun, Stephen Allen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

72 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The purification capacity of a laboratory scale tidal flow reed bed system with final effluent recirculation at a ratio of 1:1 was investigated in this study. In particular, this four-stage reed bed system was highly loaded with strong agricultural wastewater. Under the hydraulic and organic loading rates as high as 0.43 m3/m2d and 1055 gCOD/m2d, respectively, the average removal efficiencies of COD, BOD5, SS, NH4-N and P were 77%, 78%, 66%, 62% and 38%. Even with the high loading rates, approximately 30% of NH4-N was converted into NO2-N and NO3-N from the mid-stage of the system where nitrification took place. The results suggest that the multi-stage reed bed system could be employed to treat strong wastewater under high loading, especially for the substantive mass removal of solids, organic matter and ammoniacal-nitrogen. Tidal flow combined with effluent recirculation is a favourable operation strategy to achieve this objective.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-8
Number of pages8
JournalScience of the Total Environment
Volume330 (1-3)
Issue number1-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Sep 2004

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Science(all)
  • Environmental Chemistry

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