Post treatment of anaerobically treated brewery effluent using pilot scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland system

The anaerobic process is considered to be a sustainable technology for the treatment of wastewaters rich in organic matter mainly due to its lower energy consumption and production of value-added products such as biogas and organic fertilizer. However, it cannot be seen as providing 'complete' environmental solution as its treated effluents would typically not meet the desired discharge limits in terms of residual carbon, nutrients and other pollutants. This has given impetus to subsequent post treatment in order to meet the environmental standards and protect the receiving water bodies and environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the post-treatment potential of a pilot scale two-stage horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSFCW) system planted with Cyperus alternifolius and Typha latifolia, respectively, for enhanced removal of residual carbon and nutrient from an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treated brewery effluent. A pilot scale two-stage HSSFCW was integrated with the UASB reactor, and its performance efficiency was assessed for the removal of total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N), total phosphorous (TP), and orthophosphate (PO43-). Macrophytes aboveground biomass and nutrient accumulation potential were also determined following standard methods. The results from this study showed that Cyperus alternifolius planted CW cell removed 68.5% TSS, 74.2% COD, 55.7% TN, 68.6% NH4-N, 41.1% TP and 48.1% PO43-. Moreover, further polishing with Typha latifolia planted CW cell enhanced the removal efficiencies to 89% TSS, 92% COD, 83.6% TN, 92.9% NH4-N, 74.4% TP, and 79.5% PO43-. Strong linearity and Pearson correlation was found between macrophyte biomass and nutrient accumulation in each CW cell (Cyperus alternifolius: R-2 = 0.91, r = 0.97 for TN; R-2 = 0.92, r = 0.96 for TP; and Typha latifolia: R-2 = 0.96, r = 0.98 for TN and TP), and showed substantial nutrient reduction with cumulative nutrient accumulation of 1290 gTNm(-2) and 708.7 gTPm(-2) in the complete system. The performance of the pilot CW system as a tertiary treatment for brewery wastewater showed that the effluent meets the permissible discharge standards throughout the year excluding phosphorous.

Automated summary

The anaerobic treatment is a sustainable technology for organic-rich wastewater, yet post-treatment is required to meet environmental standards. This study evaluated the potential of a two-stage wetland system for enhanced removal of carbon and nutrients, showing significant reduction achieved through plant biomass and nutrient accumulation.