ARS | Publication request: Operational components and functional design of constructed wetlands used for treatment of swine wastewater

Submitted to: Animal, Agricultural and Food Processing Wastes Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: June 7, 2003
Publication Date: October 12, 2003
Citation: HUNT, P.G., POACH, M.E., SZOGI, A.A., REDDY, G.B., STONE, K.C., HUMENIK, F.J., VANOTTI, M.B. OPERATIONAL COMPONENTS AND FUNCTIONAL DESIGN OF CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS USED FOR TREATMENT OF SWINE WASTEWATER. PROCEEDINGS OF ANIMAL, AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD PROCESSING WASTES SYMPOSIUM. 2003. p. 124-131.

Technical Abstract: Constructed wetlands are a natural and passive treatment method for treatment swine wastewaters. We have investigated swine lagoon wastewater treatment in both continuous marsh and marsh-pond-marsh (MPM) type constructed wetlands for their N and P treatment efficiency, ammonia volatilization, denitrification, and treatment system design. Neither type of wetland system was effective in the removal of high rates of P. Continuous marsh systems were able to remove more N than the MPM systems, particularly if planted to bulrush. Plant and soil accumulation of N and P was important at very low loading rates; but as the loading rates exceeded 5 kg/ha, it became a small part of the removal process. Ammonia volatilization was present; it was generally <10% of the applied N in the marsh sections, and it was highly correlated to nitrogen concentration. However, the pond sections of the MPM systems had high levels of ammonia volatilization when loading rates exceeded 15 kg N/ha/day. Water depth had a large impact on denitrification, as did the plant cover. Treatment efficiency was reasonably predicted by current modeling techniques used for municipal wastewater treatment in constructed wetlands.