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Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal in a Subsurface-Flow Reed Bed

1998; UWA Publishing; Volume: 33; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2166/wqrj.1998.017

2408-9443

Garba Laouali, Jacques Brisson, Linda Dumont, Gilles Vincent,

Phosphorus and nutrient management

Abstract During the last decades, there has been a growing concern over phosphorus and nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment systems. Excessive loads of these nutrients have been implicated in the eutrophication of water courses. Although effectiveness of constructed reed beds for primary and secondary wastewater treatments is well established, their capacity for nutrient removal is not as well documented, especially under northern temperate climates. We monitored nutrient removal in the experimental reed bed wastewater treatment of the Biosphère de Montréal, a museum entirely devoted to the important role of water in the ecosystem. Over the first 2 years of operation, nutrient removal during plant growing season averaged 60% for total nitrogen, 53% for Kjeldahl nitrogen, 73% for total phosphorus and 94% for phosphate. Removal remains acceptable in winter despite a slight decrease in efficiency. Nitrification-deni-trification appears to be the main mechanism responsible for nitrogen removal, while precipitation and adsorption account for most of the phosphorus removal.