Author/Editor		Bulc, Tjaša; Vrhovšek, Danijel
Title		The use of constructured wetland for waste water treatment
Type		članek
Source		In: Slokar YM, Majcen-Le Marechal A, editors. Zbornik referatov Mednarodna konferenca 6. eko dnevi. 1. del; 2001 okt 11-12; Maribor. Maribor: Fakulteta za strojništvo, Inštitut za tekstilno kemijo, ekologijo in koloristiko,
Publication year		2001
Volume		str. 67-72
Language		eng
Abstract		New environmental directives according to EU requirements have brought serious questions concerning wastewater treatment in Slovenia, that is often insufficient. Constructed wetlands (CW) as an environmental-friendly technology for secondary and tertiary treatment of different wastewaters, are employing the self-cleaning ability of natural ecosystems. They are inexpensive to construct, easy to maintain, they are operating without an external source of energy and they fit nicely to local environment. They could provide effective protection of aquatic environment, especially for sewage treatment in rural areas with scattered communities. The CW in Ponikva community has been in operation since 1992 for the purification of sewage for 350 PE and with a hydraulic load of 2,7 cm d-1. It functions according to the method of horizontal subsurface flow. The CW is composed of three beds, filled with substrate mixture and planted with Carex gracilis and Phragmites australis. High ammonia nitrogen and BOD5 are characteristic of influent waters. The efficiency of the CW performance was evaluated through reduction of COD, BOD5, ortho-phosphate, ammonia nitrogen, and occasionally, reduction of faecal microorganisms. It evidently varied during the years of monitoring, but reached on average for COD (82%), for BOD5 (92%), for orthophosphate (77%), and for ammonia nitrogen (71%). The microbiological parameters indicated, that the total number of coliform bacteria dropped 99% and the number of fecal streptococci 98%. Results demonstrated that the CW is appropriate for purifying sewage from smaller settlements and villages up to 1000 PE.
Descriptors		SEWAGE WATER PURIFICATION PLANTS