Performance of a vertical subsurface flow (VSF) wetland treatment system using woodchips to treat livestock stormwater

Abstract

This study was conducted to develop a vertical subsurface flow (VSF) wetland remediation system packed with woodchips to control stormwater pollution arising from livestock agriculture. Three lab-scale VSF wetlands were operated with recirculation during the interval (Δ) between storms as 2, 4 and 8 days, respectively. The fed water was 100% recirculated one time per 24 h; the recirculation frequency was 1, 3 and 7 times at Δ of 2, 4 and 8 days, respectively. The constructed wetland systems proved to be effective in reducing total suspended solid (TSS), but also had potential for increasing TSS in the effluent due to the properties of the woodchips. The release of organic matter, especially in the dissolved form, occurred during the initial 60 days. The removal efficiencies of total nitrogen (TN) were 26.2%, 34.1% and 50.0% at Δ of 2, 4 and 8 days, respectively. Nitrification was promoted by the abundant oxygen supplied when the water in wetland was recirculated and fed into the wetland. Denitrification was stable and effective due to the availability of carbon sources. The influent total phosphorus (TP) was reduced from an average of 2.05 mg L⁻¹ to 1.79 mg L⁻¹, 1.36 mg L⁻¹ and 0.86 mg L⁻¹ at Δ as 2, 4 and 8 days, respectively. The result shows that woodchips can be used as substrate material for VSF wetland treatment systems to control nutrient influx from livestock stormwater.