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Hydraulic and Design Parameters in Full-Scale Constructed Wetlands and Treatment Units: Six Case Studies

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Abstract

The efficiency of pond and constructed wetland (CW) treatment systems is influenced by the internal hydrodynamics and mixing interactions between water and aquatic vegetation. In order to contribute to current knowledge of how emergent real vegetation affects solute mixing, and on what the shape and size effects are on the mixing characteristics, an understanding and quantification of those physical processes and interactions were made. This paper presents results from tracer tests conducted during 2015–2016 in six full-scale systems in the UK under different flow regimes, operational depths, shapes and sizes, and inlet/outlet configurations. The aim was to quantify the hydraulic performance and mixing characteristics of the treatment units, and to investigate the effect of size and shape on the mixing processes. Relative comparison of outlet configuration, inflow conditions, and internal features between the six different treatment units showed variations in residence times of up to a factor of 3. A key outcome of this study was that the width is a more important dimension for the efficiency of the unit compared to the depth. Results underlined the importance of investigating hydrodynamics and physics of flow in full-size units to enhance treatment efficiency and predictions of water quality models.

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Abbreviations

CW:

Constructed Wetland

HRT:

Hydraulic Residence Time

RSPB:

Royal Society of Bird Protection

SW1:

South Wetland 1

SW2:

South Wetland 2

NW:

North Wetland

A-WMTS:

A-Winning Minewater Treatment Scheme

RTD:

Residence Time Distribution

CSTR:

Completely Stirred Tank Reactor

TIS:

Tank In Series

ERAR:

Environmental Risk Assessment Research

CRD:

Chemical Regulatory Directorate

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Acknowledgements

The work has been financially supported by the School of Engineering, University of Warwick, through a PhD scholarship for V. Ioannidou. The authors gratefully acknowledge: the RSPB Hope Farm staff invaluable support, kind collaboration, and permission to access their wetlands; The Coal Authority staff for their productive collaboration, and access to their facilities in Derbyshire and Yorkshire; the technical support from Ian Baylis in the School of Engineering, University of Warwick. An initial shorter version of the paper has been presented in the 10th World Congress of the European Water Resources Association (EWRA2017) “Panta Rhei”, Athens, Greece, 5-9 July, 2017 (http://ewra2017.ewra.net/).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Birmingham City University, Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG, UK

    Vasiliki G. Ioannidou

  2. School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK

    Jonathan M. Pearson

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  1. Vasiliki G. Ioannidou
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  2. Jonathan M. Pearson
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Correspondence to Vasiliki G. Ioannidou.

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Highlights

• Even inflow distribution of influent and smooth operational conditions is important to be maintained in the system; disruption of even inflow conditions was found to result into poor solute mixing levels, and into internal recirculations of the contaminant in treatment.

• Bunded outlet configuration can improve significantly the mixing and hydraulic performance of the treatment unit.

• Internal configuration using baffles curtains as retrofit has the potential to enhance significantly the hydraulic performance of the treatment unit.

• The width of the treatment unit was found to be a more relevant dimension to the solute/contaminant mixing characteristics compared to the depth.

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Ioannidou, V.G., Pearson, J.M. Hydraulic and Design Parameters in Full-Scale Constructed Wetlands and Treatment Units: Six Case Studies. Environ. Process. 5 (Suppl 1), 5–22 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40710-018-0313-8

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