Pollutant Removal Efficiency of Aquatic Plant Consortium in Floating Treatment Wetland for Municipal Wastewater

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a hybrid Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) for the treatment of municipal wastewater by using Phragmites australis and Canna indica.  Prior to the installation of the FTW, initial testing  was conducted to identify the pollutant of interest. The performance of this system was monitored by analyzing the parameters mentioned above during the months of April to August. Throughout each phase, the system demonstrates high removal efficiency for the majority of parameters. Two way Anova was performed for multiple comparison between different phases and locations.  The mature phase showed the maximum removal efficiency, with BOD 91%, COD 91% TSS 88%, TDS 48%, Total ammonia 75% nitrate 68%, phosphate 70%. The addition of a settling tank in the treatment process has proven to enhance efficiency, as it demonstrates effective removal of  TSS, turbidity, and COD. This indicates that the implementation of primary treatment contributes to the overall efficiency of the  FTW. The cost analysis showed that this system can treat 1m3 of wastewater  with only 150 PKR which shows that this is cost effective technology. Therefore, the findings indicated that FTW has promise as a field-scale wastewater treatment method, offering a cost-effective technological solution. Moreover, it was recommended to investigate the long term potential of FTW on field scale.