Behavior of emerging pollutants in constructed wetlands

Abstract

Constructed wetlands (CWs) constitute a cost-effective wastewater treatment alternative for small communities due to the low operational cost, reduced energy consumption, and reduced sewage sludge production. Although much information is available about conventional water quality parameters in CWs, few data exist regarding emerging pollutants. In this chapter, following a short introduction on the different wetland configurations, the removal efficiency for anti-inflammatory drugs, lipid regulators, anti-epileptic agents, fragrance materials, surfactants, and estrogens in different wetland systems is discussed. Among the parameters affecting wetland performance, it is shown that removal efficiency of a variety of emerging pollutants is dependent on the oxygen availability and sorption interactions. For that reason the vertical flow constructed wetlands exhibited the best performance in terms of hydraulic residence time and removal efficiency. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.