Efficient Wastewater Treatment ponds

—>MAIN PAGE

Empirical evidence confirms that higher-order aquatic plants have a positive impact on the quality of natural water bodies. This effect is provided by their extensive and dense root systems that develop horizontally and vertically. In soil permeated with roots, bacterial density can be several times higher (up to 10-100 times) than in rootless soil, which enables the breakdown of a large amount of organic matter in a small space. In the root zone, due to the abundance of oxygen and the mosaic formation of aerobic and anaerobic processes in the soil, the nutrients present in wastewater can be biodegraded through biochemical pathways. Plants such as reeds (Phragmites communis), broad-leaved cattail (Typha latifolia), narrow-leaved cattail (T. angustifolia), sedge (Carex gracilis), and bulrush (Scirpus lacurtis) can be used for wastewater treatment. Floating aquatic plant communities also play an important role in water purification. The role of more developed plants that rise above the water surface is essential, as their decomposed dry stems, rich in carbon compounds such as cellulose and pectin, provide nourishment to the microflora in the marsh water. The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and duckweed species (Lemna sp., Spirodela sp., and Wolffia sp.) are often used in this technology. Duckweed species have small leaves of a few millimeters in size and roots shorter than 1 cm. The water hyacinth is a freshwater perennial plant with round, upright, shiny green leaves and a pointed inflorescence. Its root naturally grows to a length of 30 cm.

The Most Important Thing That’s Probably Missing From Your Backyard

Among the wastewater treatment technologies that involve aquatic plant communities, we distinguish between free-surface and subsurface flow systems. The difference between the two is that in free-surface systems, there is periodic or constant water flow above the surface of the filling material in the constructed basin, while in subsurface flow systems, the liquid to be treated flows exclusively below the surface through the filling material in the basins. The subsurface flow system is referred to as the root zone process.

When purifying water with a plant population, it is not the vegetation itself that cleans the water, but without plants, there is no purification. To support this claim, the results of measurements carried out during the winter months outside of the vegetation period are presented, which show that 75-86% of all phosphorus and 32-98% of all nitrogen disappeared from the water. The efficiency was even better in the autumn, when 98% of all phosphorus and 96% of all nitrogen were removed. To further prove this assertion, it is stated that the vegetation also functions as a mechanical filter, and the closed canopy prevents water mixing, thereby creating a lasting stratification. The shade from the plants prevents water from heating up, but also photosynthesis and therefore oxygen production, which is important for anaerobic processes. The plant material in the water provides a substrate and settlement opportunities for algae, fungi, and bacteria.

During root cleaning, the physically, chemically, and biologically active soil layer is responsible for capturing and breaking down contaminants. Wastewater is conducted through the rooted soil layer in parallel with the groundwater. The system operates under heavy wastewater loads, so the living organisms that can settle here become the components of a marshy biotope. The ecological diversity of the living organisms in the active soil layer carries out the processing of the infiltrating wastewater. Microorganisms break down the organic matter into its constituent parts. Heavy metal compounds are bound in the developed humus layer or decompose due to the action of root acids and other organic acids, accumulating in the rhizome of the reeds. Metal compounds are transformed into chelates thanks to the complexing effect of humic acids. The anaerobic conditions in the system also allow for further degradation of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. A reducing environment is necessary for the conversion of oxidized nitrogen and phosphorus compounds into their gaseous state and their release into the air. The decomposition of phosphorus compounds also requires the action of root acids. A wastewater treatment plant based on root cleaning processes either pre-treated or untreated wastewater.

Root zone wastewater treatment systems can be horizontal flow, vertical flow, or a combination of these (multistage systems). In vertical flow systems, the most common types are vertical-downward flow structures, but there are also vertical-upward flow structure types found in international literature. However, from a technological point of view, this type does not differ much from the longitudinal flow system.

Healthy Organic Weight Management Coffee with Mushrooms

– For less than 60 cents per cup

Yes, this is very likely the longest name for a coffee you’ve ever seen. But the truth is, with all of the amazing benefits and ingredients we’ve packed into this blend, we could have added even more words, like adaptogens, green tea, healthy fiber, maca, and especially delicious!

Not only does LiveGood Organic coffee combine the highest quality ingredients from the cleanest, most pure and lush places on the planet, it is the FIRST and ONLY coffee enhanced with healthy fiber to reduce hunger, formulated with maca to help support learning and memory while improving mood, plus green tea to promote healthy brain function and stimulate fat burning, AND adaptogens in the form of 6 of the world’s most powerful mushrooms to ease stress, support a healthy body, and help you feel great! No coffee on the planet provides as many benefits as LiveGood Healthy Organic Weight Management Coffee with Mushrooms

From the first time you taste our delicious blend, and experience the amazing results, you may never want to drink another coffee ever again!

In the case of a horizontal flow system, the pretreated wastewater is distributed through a distributor drain or distributor trench, which is constructed transversely in the structure. The distribution quality is further enhanced by placing large particle-size distributor media, called “root zone fill,” around the distributor drain or trench. Next, the wastewater flows through the fill, or the “root zone,” along the length of the basin. The treated wastewater then seeps into the collector drain, which is usually located transversely at the bottom of the structure. The water is then carried away through one or more pipes. Similar to the distributor fill, material with similar particle size is placed around the collector drain for proper operation. The recommended fill depth is 0.6-1m. When sizing the system, it is essential to maintain a specific field area of 12.3 m2/EI (“m2/EI” refers to the specific surface area (in square meters) of the root zone per unit of equivalent inhabitants (EI)) or more, as this system is not as efficient as vertical flow systems.

In the case of vertical-downward flow construction, the distributor drains are placed in the upper layer of the filter material, along the length of the structure. Similar geometrically distributed collector drains are built into the bottom of the structure. Between the distributor and collector drains, a filter material with a thickness of 0.5-1.2 meters is used for wastewater treatment. In the case of vertical flow or combined systems, the required specific surface area (2.4-3.1 m2/PE) is significantly lower than the design value of 5 m2/PE accepted in Western Europe.

Multistage systems, or combined root zone wastewater treatment methods, aim to combine the advantages of the two types of structures, thereby increasing the efficiency and operational safety of the technology. The basic concept of the system was developed by Brix in 1993. The beneficial properties of each type of construction variant can be better utilized by connecting the vertical and horizontal flow tanks in series. The system’s treatment efficiency can be increased by creating a recirculation line between the tanks.

In all cases, wastewater can be introduced into the system after being cleaned of coarser, macroscopic impurities. This can be achieved using a comb-like structure, which must be continuously cleaned to allow the wastewater to flow freely into the distribution channel. It is also recommended to include a mechanical filter in the post-treatment of municipal wastewater, as the water can be transported from an urban wastewater treatment plant through an open channel, allowing larger impurities to enter the filter system. The filtered wastewater is then directed into the distribution channel and evenly distributed onto a gravel bed through a weir, which filters the water and distributes it evenly onto the root-permeated, active soil zone.

The significant fluctuations in the quality of wastewater discharged from the technology are caused by hydraulic operational disturbances. The most important factors causing hydraulic operational disturbances are clogging processes due to floating material load and biofilm activity. Increasing the specific surface area is not an effective solution to counter the clogging effect of high incoming organic matter concentration and significant biofilm activity caused by floating material load, as this is limited to the interior of the distributor and its immediate surroundings. When developing the pretreatment system, the following should be taken into account: • Achieving the most efficient removal of floating material in this pretreatment system. • No floating material should flow out of the pretreatment system, even during peak rainfall wastewater flow periods. • The separation of organic matter should be such that the BOI5 concentration of the effluent from the pretreatment system does not exceed an average of 240 mg/l.

In designing the root zone technology, it is important to ensure the restability of the reed beds. Of course, this requires the construction of at least 1 reserve field in parallel.

After the active filtering layer, the already purified water is collected again in a gravel bed, which then leads to the receiving channel through an outlet. This technology is excellent for the treatment of municipal sewage from small villages, as well as the sewage from rural homes, family homes, holiday resorts, campsites, hotels, and schools.

The size of the reed beds depends on the amount of wastewater to be treated. Their depth should be a minimum of 80 cm. Insulation can be clay (if available locally) or HDPE foil. The filling material in the pool can be sand, gravel, crushed rock, soil, or a mixture of these, but it is recommended to use materials with good permeability factors (fractionated sand, fractionated gravel) to avoid clogging. The reeds planted should be the common reed found in the area. The flow of wastewater and the degradation process occur below the surface of the soil (without any odor impact), with a horizontal flow direction along the strong horizontal roots of the reed. The degradation and purification processes work even in winter due to the insulating effect of the soil and the heat generated by the degradation process. The treated wastewater can be discharged into surface water.

Design considerations for BOD5 (Biological Oxigen Demand in 5 days):

Ah = Filter bed area (m2)
Q = Daily average water flow (m3)
C0 = Influent BOI5 concentration (mg/L)
Ct = Effluent BOI5 concentration target (mg/L)
KBOD = Constant (0.1 m/day)

In the German village of Othfressen, a 22-hectare wastewater treatment system is in operation, which is covered mainly by water plants, especially reeds and cattails, and is capable of treating the sewage produced by 2500 residents. The wastewater is directed to a distribution channel from a sedimentation and storage pond located 1.7 km away, and then flows into two distribution ditches operated alternatively or in parallel. The edges of the distribution ditches are equipped with horizontal weirs, allowing the sewage to flow evenly onto the surface. According to observations made at a sampling point located at a distance of 80-100 meters from the densely vegetated surface, the nitrogen content decreased from 30 mg/l to 1.0 mg/l, and the phosphorus content decreased from 30 mg/l to 0.1 mg/l. In the marshy vegetation community, cattails can handle the sewage input better than reeds in this area.