Kim DS  Lee DK

Vol. 25,  No. 4, pp. 302-310, Dec.  2019
10.7464/ksct.2019.25.4.300

constructed wetland polluted stream water aerobic tank anaerobic/anoxic tank natural air draft system

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A constructed wetland with the aerobic tank and anaerobic/anoxic tank connected in series was employed in order to treat highly polluted stream water. The aerobic tank was maintained aerobic with a continuous supply of air through the natural air draft system. Five pilot plants having different residence times were employed together to obtain parameters for the best performances of the wetland. BOD and COD removals at the aerobic tank followed the first order kinetics. COD removal rate constants were slightly lower than BOD. The temperature dependence of COD (θ = 1.0079) and BOD (θ = 1.0083) was almost the same, but the temperature dependence (θ N) of T-N removal was 1.0189. The SS removal rate was as high as 98% and the removal efficiency showed a tendency to increase with increasing hydraulic loading rate (Q/A). The main mechanism of BOD and COD removal at the anaerobic/anoxic tank was entirely different from that of the aerobic tank. BOD and COD were supplied as the carbon source for biological denitrification. T-P was believed to be removed though the cation exchange between orthophosphate and gravels within the anaerobic and anoxic tanks. The wetland could successfully be operated without being blocked by the filtered solid which subsequently decomposed at an extremely fast rate.