Bilal Tuncsiper

Removal of nutrient and bacteria in pilot-scale constructed wetlands

Three pilot-scale horizontal-subsurface flow (H-SSF), surface flow (SF), and free water surface flow (FWS) constructed wetland system designs were installed and evaluated to determine the effectiveness of constructed wetlands to treat tertiary effluent wastewater generated from Paşaköy Advanced Biological Wastewater Treatment Plant (PABWWTP). The average ammonia-nitrogen (NH+ 4) removal efficiencies of % 49 to 52% were observed in all three system designs. Average NO− 3 removal efficiency was approximately 58% in the SF system design, suggesting that this design had the highest denitrification rate. Total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency was the highest (approximately 60%) in the h-SSF system, possibly due to substrate (gravel). Systems were capable of removing approximately 94% of fecal coliform (FC) bacteria. Removal rate coefficients (k 20, 1/day) in the H-SSF, the FWS and the SF systems were estimated for NH+ 4, NO− 3, TP and FC. The average nutrient removal efficiencies were found higher in the summer periods except for the FC. The results of statistical analyses indicated that nutrient removals were affected by temperature, hydraulic residence time (HRT), and nitrogen loading rate (NLR).

Performance of a pilot-scale, three-stage constructed wetland system for domestic wastewater treatment.

This study investigates the effects of season, organic matter loadings, hydraulic conditions, recycling, and rapid drainage on water quality in a pilot‐scale, three‐stage subsurface flow constructed wetland (SSF CW) system. The pilot CW system consisted of a vertical flow‐gravel filtration (v‐GF) wetland in the first stage, a horizontal‐subsurface flow (h‐SSF) bed planted with Iris in the second stage, and a vertical‐subsurface flow (v‐SSF) bed vegetated with Phragmites in the third stage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of these CW systems to remove organic matter from domestic wastewater on a pilot‐scale three‐stage SSF CW system. Comparisons of average influent and effluent concentrations showed that the multistage system could effectively reduce total suspended solids (TSS), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels in effluent by as much as 98% and total organic carbon (TOC) by as much as 79%. Contributions of the first, second and third stages to the overall treatment were approximately 10%, 45% and 45%, respectively. The average TSS, COD, and TOC concentrations were reduced in the entire CW system by 70%, 80% and 90%, respectively. The BOD and TOC removal efficiencies displayed seasonal variations with average removals generally increasing in warmer seasons. Our results also demonstrate that there were strong correlations between removal efficiencies and loading rates. Average removals decreased with an increase in the hydraulic retention time (HRT). The rapid drainage and recycling operation increased the efficiency of BOD removal only.

Constructed and riverine wetlands design considerations for domestic and agricultural diffuse pollution treatment—a case study from Turkey

AbstractIn this study, a riverine constructed wetland system (RCWS) was monitored with the aim to investigate its functionality and cost-effectiveness in treating domestic wastewater. Turkey’s second biggest freshwater lake, Egirdir lake, is becoming polluted directly and indirectly with both domestic and diffuse pollution sources. In this paper we: (1) describe a water quality monitoring campaign on an existing long drainage channel where the majority of pollution originates from untreated urban sewage (2) discuss the design parameters and some considerations for a new RCWS to diminish and eliminate domestic and diffuse pollution loads originating from Gelendost and Yaka. In our design considerations, (1) we projected population increase over a 30-year period, which resulted in total 12,000 population equivalent, including the drainage network run-off originating from agriculture; (2) we aim to achieve 90% reduction in chemical oxygen demand, 70% of nitrogen (N) and 40% of total phosphorus. To achieve de...

Large scale constructed wetland implementation projects in Turkey in Salt Lake Special Environmental Protection Area

Abstract Salt Lake, in ecological and economical terms, is one of the most important lakes in Turkey. The lake exhibits great biodiversity of plants because the lake and its basin are a natural habitat to various types of endemic plants which are resistant to a salty environment. The lake also serves as a habitat to many kinds of birds, especially flamingos. From an economic standpoint, Salt Lake meets approximately 70% of the salt requirement for Turkey. For this reason it is of great importance to preserve the natural environment of the lake. In addition to the various activities conducted for the environmental protection of the Salt Lake, a comprehensive constructed wetland (CW) project has been prepared and implemented for the towns of Sultanhani and Altinekin, where the population is expected to reach approximately 5000 by the year 2037. It entails the largest and most important subsurface-flow constructed wetland systems(CWs) in Turkey. Many site surveying research projects have also been conducted ...