Krzysztof Jóźwiakowski

Impact of influent wastewater quality on nitrogen removal rates in multistage treatment wetlands.

Nitrogen removal in treatment wetlands is influenced by many factors, and the presence of electron donors (biodegradable organic matter) and electron acceptors (nitrate ions) is the main limiting one; for obtaining these conditions, multistage treatment wetlands (MTWs) are required, where an extensive nitrification can be obtained in the first stages under aerobic conditions leaving then to the following anoxic/anaerobic stages the duty of the denitrification. Most of the biodegradable organic matter is however oxidised in the first stages, and therefore, the inlet to the denitrification beds is usually poor of easily degradable carbon sources. This study is comparing the long-term performances obtained at several MTWs operating in Europe (North and South) and North Africa in order to understand if there is a significant avail in making use of the influent chemical oxygen demand (COD)/N ratio during the design phase for ensuring proper performances in terms of N overall removal. The statistic analysis performed in this study have shown that MTWs are capable to ensure sufficient removal of both organic and nutrients even in unfavourable proportions of macronutrients (C and N). The usual assumptions for conventional biological treatment systems concerning adequate C/N ratios seem to be dubious in case of wastewater treatment in MTWs.

The use of multi-criteria analysis for selection of technology for a household WWTP compatible with sustainable development

Abstract This paper presents the use of multi-criteria analysis as a tool that helps choosing an adequate technology for a household wastewater treatment plant. In the process of selection the criteria of sustainable development were taken into account. Five municipal mechanical-biological treatment plants were chosen for the comparative multi-criteria analysis. Different treatment technologies, such as sand filter, activated sludge, trickling filter, a hybrid system - activated sludge/trickling filter and a hybrid constructed wetland system VF-HF type (vertical and horizontal fl ow) were taken into account. The plants’ capacities were 1 m3∙d-1 (PE=8) and they all meet the environmental regulations. Additionally, a solution with a drainage system was included into the analysis. On the basis of multi-criteria analysis it was found that the preferred wastewater treatment technologies, consistent with the principles of sustainable development, were a sand filter and a hybrid constructed wetland type VF-HF. A drainage system was chosen as the best solution due to the economic criteria, however, taking into consideration the primary (ecological) criterion, employment of such systems on a larger scale disagree with the principles of sustainable development. It was found that activated sludge is the least favourable technology. The analysis showed that this technology is not compatible with the principles of sustainable development, due to a lack of proper technological stability and low reliability. Streszczenie W pracy przedstawiono sposób wykorzystania analizy wielokryterialnej jako narzędzia pomocniczego do wyboru właściwego rozwiązania technologicznego przydomowej oczyszczalni ścieków. Przy wyborze uwzględniano kryteria zgodne z zasadami zrównoważonego rozwoju. Do porównawczej analizy wielokryterialnej wybrano 5 wariantów przydomowych, mechaniczno-biologicznych oczyszczalni ścieków. Porównywano systemy z filtrem piaskowym, z osadem czynnym, ze złożem biologicznym zraszanym, system hybrydowy - osad czynny ze złożem biologicznym oraz hybrydowy system hydrofi towy typu VF-HF (z pionowym i poziomym przepływem ścieków). Analizowano rozwiązania o przepustowości 1 m3∙d-1 (Równoważna Liczba Mieszkańców - RLM = 8), spełniające wymagania przepisów ochrony środowiska. Dodatkowo także rozwiązanie z zastosowaniem drenażu rozsączającego. Na podstawie analizy wielokryterialnej stwierdzono, że najbardziej korzystnymi rozwiązaniami technologicznymi, zgodnymi z zasadami zrównoważonego rozwoju, są systemy z filtrem piaskowym i hybrydowe systemy hydrofi towe typu VF-HF. Przy znacznej przewadze kryteriów ekonomicznych, jako najbardziej korzystne rozwiązanie wybrany został system z drenażem rozsączający, jednak biorąc pod uwagę kryterium nadrzędne (ekologiczne), aby zachować zasadę zrównoważonego rozwoju, należałoby wykluczyć możliwość stosowania tych rozwiązań na większą skalę. Stwierdzono, że najbardziej niekorzystnym jest rozwiązanie technologiczne z wykorzystaniem osadu czynnego. Wykonana analiza wykazała, że stosowanie tej technologii jest niezgodne z ideą zrównoważonego rozwoju. Jest to spowodowane brakiem odpowiedniej stabilności technologicznej i niewielką niezawodnością działania.

Assessment of the technological reliability of a hybrid constructed wetland for wastewater treatment in a mountain eco-tourist farm in Poland

The aim of the present study was to assess the technological reliability of a domestic hybrid wastewater treatment installation consisting of a classic three-chambered (volume 6 m3) septic tank, a vertical flow trickling bed filled with granules of a calcinated clay material (KERAMZYT), a special wetland bed constructed on a slope, and a permeable pond used as a receiver. The test treatment plant was located at a mountain eco-tourist farm on the periphery of the spa municipality of Krynica-Zdrój, Poland. The plants operational reliability in reducing the concentration of organic matter, measured as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), was 100% when modelled by both the Weibull and the lognormal distributions. The respective reliability values for total nitrogen removal were 76.8% and 77.0%, total suspended solids - 99.5% and 92.6%, and PO4-P - 98.2% and 95.2%, with the differences being negligible. The installation was characterized by a very high level of technological reliability when compared with other solutions of this type. The Weibull method employed for statistical evaluation of technological reliability can also be used for comparison purposes. From the ecological perspective, the facility presented in the study has proven to be an effective tool for protecting local aquifer areas.

Long-term operation of Kickuth-type constructed wetland applied to municipal wastewater treatment in temperate climate

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to discuss the problem of changes of effectiveness of Kickuth-type constructed wetland with subsurface flow applied to domestic wastewater treatment. This study is based on an example of a wetland 3000 m2 in surface, serving 800 inhabitants, located in Poland. The results of chemical analysis showed that after an initial year of ‘start-up time’, the efficiency of pollutant removal gradually increased to reach an apex in the 6th year of operation. Such maximum efficiency continued up to the 10th year of operation; afterwards it gradually dropped. Moreover, after 12 years of operation, a serious problem with overland flow was observed, which indicated the porous media clogging processes.

The Efficiency of Pollution Removal From Domestic Wastewater in Constructed Wetland Systems With Vertical Flow With Common Reed and Glyceria Maxima

The paper presents the results of research on the effects of removing pollution from domestic wastewater in two beds of constructed wetland systems with vertical flow. Bed I was planted with common reed (Phragmites australis Cav. Trin. Ex Steud.), whereas bed II with Glyceria maxima (Glyceria aquatica L.). The surface of each of the beds amounted to 30 m2, and the hydraulic load of each of them amounted to 0.033 m3·m-2·d-1. The study showed very good results in the removal of most of the analyzed indicators of contamination, which were similar in both analyzed beds. They were, respectively: 91 and 93% – for total suspended solids, 96 and 98% – for BOD5, 96 and 94% – for CODCr, 88 and 86% – for ammonia nitrogen and 87 and 88% – for total phosphorus. Much smaller effects were reported with regard to total nitrogen removal – 55% in bed I with common reed and 54% in bed II with Glyceria maxima. The tested beds also eliminated the number of coliform bacteria and faecal coliform bacteria quite effectively. Average effects of the removal of coliform bacteria in bed I and II were 99.74%, in the case of faecal coliform 98.06% and 97.94% respectively. Values of basic indicators of contamination (total suspended solids, BOD5 and CODCr) in the wastewater discharged from the analyzed beds met the requirements of the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment of 2014. The test results obtained in the first year of operation of the analyzed beds show that neither of the applied plants significantly improves the results of contaminant removal.

Ocena wpływu przydomowych oczyszczalni ścieków z drenażem rozsączającym na jakość wód podziemnych w studniach kopanych i głębinowych

The paper presents an assessment of the impact of sewage treatment plants with drainage system on the quality of groundwater in dug and deep wells in the Kwasowka village in the Inzynieria Ekologiczna

Hybrid Constructed Wetlands for the National Parks in Poland – The Case Study, Requirements, Dimensioning and Preliminary Results

Poland is proud of 23 National Parks (NPs) which were established to protect unique European areas. Through cooperation between Life Science University in Lublin and the NPs, highly effective methods for environmental protection were introduced in Roztoczanski and Poleski National Parks. One method is a hybrid treatment wetland (HTW) for wastewater treatment. HTWs, if well designed and maintained, can effectively treat wastewater generated in houses and museum buildings in the area of the NPs. In 2014, three HTWs were constructed in Roztoczanski National Park (RNP) (A – Kosobudy, B – Zwierzyniec, C – Florianka). One of these installations was constructed in the shape of a fir tree (A – Kosobudy). In 2015 another one, in a turtle shape, was built in Poleski National Park (PNP) (D – Stare Zalucze). Similar wastewater treatment technology was applied in all facilities. The technology consisted of three steps: (i) mechanical treatment in three septic tank chambers, (ii) biological treatment in two or three stages of vertical and horizontal beds, and (iii) inactivation of phosphorus in p-filter with calcium-silica rock. Since the very beginning all facilities have been monitored and the results indicate very low concentrations of pollutants in the final effluents. It can be concluded that HTWs working according to the assumed technology fulfill the strict requirements for wastewater treatment in NP areas in Poland.

Using terrestrial laser scanning in inventorying of a hybrid constructed wetland system

The goal of this paper was to evaluate the possibility of using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) for inventorying of a hybrid constructed wetland (CW) wastewater treatment plant. The object under study was a turtle-shaped system built in 2015 in Eastern Poland. Its main purpose is the treatment of wastewater from the Museum and Education Centre of Polesie National Park. The study showed that the CW system had been built in compliance with the technical documentation, as differences between values obtained from the object and those given in the design project (max. ± 20 cm for situation and ±5 cm for elevation) were within the range defined by the legislator. It was also shown that the results were sufficiently precise to be used for as-built surveying of the aboveground elements of the CW system. The TLS technique can also be employed to analyse quantitative changes in object geometry arising during long-term use (e.g. landmass slides or erosion), the identification of which can help in selecting the hot-spots at risk of damage and thus restore the object to its original state as well as prevent new changes.

The use of carbonate-silica rock (opoka) to remove iron, manganese and indicator bacteria from groundwater

Abstract The study investigated the efficiency of removal of iron, manganese and indicator bacteria from potable groundwater by using carbonate-silica rock (opoka). The tests were performed in a laboratory in three filter columns supplied with water containing increased concentrations of iron and manganese. Two of the columns were filled with carbonate-silica rock with particle sizes of 2-5 mm; retention time for water in the columns was set at 1 h and 2 h. A third column was filled with 1-2 mm rock particles, with hydraulic retention time set at 1 h. High removal efficiencies were determined for iron, manganese and coliform bacteria and low removal efficiencies for psychro- and mesophilic bacteria. An increase in the alkalinity of the investigated water was also observed.

Efficiency of organic substance removal in a hybrid sand filter with horizontal flow

Abstract The paper presents the results of the research about the efficiency of organic substance removal in a hybrid sand filter. The investigations were carried out on a model wastewater treatment plant consisting of a preliminary sedimentation tank and two sand filter with a horizontal flow of wastewater (aerobic and anaerobic beds). The efficiency of BOD5 and COD removal was analysed for different wastewater hydraulic load levels: 0.72; 1.08; 1.44 dm3·d−1. The best efficiency of BOD5 and COD removal was obtained when the hydraulic load level was 1.08 dm3·d−1, respectively 83.8 and 72.3%. The average values of BOD5 and COD in the treated wastewater were significantly higher than the values deemed acceptable by relevant regulations in Poland. Based on the studies in the analyzed case, it was found that, sand filters with horizontal flow, do not guarantee high effluent treatment effect of typical household wastewater. In order to obtain a better efficiency of organic substance removal in a hybrid sand filter wastewater need to be oxygenate before being carried to these systems.