Submitted in complete fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Biotechnology) in the Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Many households in developing countries are still without proper sanitation systems. The problems are even more prevalent in rural communities where there are no septic systems in place for the treatment of wastewater. This has resulted in the urgent need for the development and implementation of innovative wastewater treatment systems that are inexpensive, environmental friendly and are able to reduce contaminants to levels that pose no harm to the communities. Constructed rhizofiltration systems have been explored for this purpose. They have been used for many decades in many countries with varying degrees of success at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of wastewater treatment. Poor optimization of this technology has been due to limited information available about the roles played by the whole system as well as by each component involved in the treatment technology. The current work elucidates the role played by macrophytes and microbial biofilms in the removal of nutrients in the rhizofiltration system. Factors affecting waste removal as well as environmental friendliness of the system were also investigated. The rhizofiltration system was constructed in Durban and was divided into planted (planted with Phragmites australis and Kyllinga nemoralis) and unplanted (reference) section. Dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, water temperature, total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC) and salinity were monitored. The removal efficiency of nutrients was measured using spectrophotometric methods by measuring the concentration of ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate and orthophosphate in the wastewater pre- and post-treatment. The total organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total Kehldjahl nitrogen, biological oxygen demand (BOD), ammonia, nitrate and the flow rate of wastewater into the system from the settling tank were used for the estimation of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emitted from the rhizofilter using the 2009 EPA formulae. Both the planted and reference sections of the system removed nutrients with varying efficiencies. The reduction of nutrients in the rhizofilter was found to be seasonal, with most nutrients removed during the warm seasons. The system also retained more nutrients when wastewater containing low levels of nutrients was used. The unpaired t-test was used to determine the differences between nutrient removals between planted and reference sections. Higher reduction efficiencies of nutrients were obtained in the planted section. Up to 65% nitrite and 99% nitrate were removed while up to 86% total phosphorus was removed in a form of orthophosphate (86%). Removal of total nitrogen was shown to increase under high temperature conditions, while the same conditions decreased the total phosphorus removal. High temperatures also increased the performance of the system. The reduction of nutrients in the system corresponded to reduction of the chemical oxygen demand which also positively correlated to the dissolved oxygen concentration. Considering the discharge limits for all nutrients, the discharges in the effluent of the planted section were within the allowable limits as per South Africa’s Department of Water affairs and Forestry in 2012 but not in 2013. The results obtained in 2013 were due to increased nutrient loading introduced into the system. Diverse microbial communities occurred in the treatment system, with more diversity in the planted section. These organisms were supported by macrophytes in the planted section, and were responsible for nitrogen and phosphorus transformation. This explains why total nitrogen and phosphorus reduction was higher in the planted compared to the reference section. Both the planted and the reference sections of the rhizofiltration system produced the greenhouse gases. When the two sections were compared, the planted section produced more gases. Gases emitted by both sections were lower when compared to emission from sludge treatment reed beds and other conventional systems of wastewater treatments. These findings indicated that constructed rhizofiltration is a cleaner form of waste treatment, producing significantly less greenhouse gases and affecting less of a climate change. Findings of this work have revealed that rhizofiltration technology can be used as a low-cost alternative technology for the treatment of wastewater, using the combination of macrophytes and microbial biofilms. Macrophytes accumulated nitrogen and phosphorus as well as supported diverse microorganisms that metabolized and reduced nutrients in the rhizofiltration unit. / D

Mikroplast, här definierat som plastobjekt mindre än 5 mm, befaras kunna göra stor skada på vattenlevande djur. Fram tills idag har studier av mikroplastreduktion främst utförts i kommunala avloppsreningsverk där mycket av plasten avskiljs. De stora spillvattenflödena gör ändå reningsverken till betydande utsläppspunkter av mikroplast till sjöar och hav. Information har hittills till stor del saknats om mikroplastförekomst i dagvatten, vilket ofta släpps ut orenat och i större volymer än spillvatten. Förekomst av mikroplast >20 µm (>0,02 mm) har undersökts för tre tätorters dagvatten samt för två avloppsreningsverks utloppsvatten. Avskiljning av mikroplast har undersökts för två spillvattenvåtmarker och två dagvattendammar. Båda anläggningstyper är relativt billiga och effektiva när det gäller reduktion av tungmetaller och övergödande näringsämnen. Örsundsbro våtmark och våtmark Alhagen tar båda emot behandlat spillvatten från kommunala avloppsreningsverk. I våtmark Alhagen finns även ett inlopp för dagvatten från Nynäshamn. Till dagvattenanläggningen Korsängens vattenpark leds en stor del av Enköpings dagvatten, medan Tibbledammen tar emot det dagvatten som kommer från Kungsängen i Upplands-Bro kommun. Vatten från anläggningarnas inlopp och utlopp, samt från två punkter inuti våtmark Alhagen har pumpats genom 20 µm-filter och 300 µm-filter. Provtagningen har kompletterats med insamling av mindre vattenvolymer som har filtrerats på laboratorium. Kvantifiering av mikroplast har gjorts med hjälp av stereomikroskop och vanligt förekommande objekts material har undersökts genom FTIR-spektroskopi. I våtmark Alhagens inkommande spillvatten var mikroplastkoncentrationen 4 objekt/liter, vilket liknar de koncentrationer andra svenska studier uppmätt i behandlat spillvatten. I inkommande vatten till Örsundsbro våtmark var koncentrationen över 950 objekt/liter, långt över vad andra svenska studier uppmätt i helt obehandlat spillvatten. I dagvatteninloppen var mikroplastinnehållet 5,4–10 objekt/liter, vilket indikerar på att mikroplatsutsläpp via dagvatten kan befaras vara minst lika stora som via spillvatten. I alla anläggningars inkommande vatten, förutom i våtmark Alhagens dagvatteninlopp, uppmättes höga koncentrationer av rödfärgade partiklar. Partiklarna kan vara av plast eller av annat okänt material och är till utseendet relativt lika de som andra studier påträffat i svenska kustvatten. Svarta partiklar påträffades i alla inflöden och ofta i mer än 100 gånger högre halter än de för mikroplast och röda partiklar, förutom i våtmark Alhagens spillvatteninlopp där de röda partiklarna var något fler. Partiklarna tros kunna vara däck- och vägrester eller förbränningspartiklar. Alla anläggningar visade på en tydlig avskiljning, ofta 90-100 %, för mikroplast, svarta och röda partiklar >20 µm. Till följd av resultatet samt anläggningarnas variation i ålder, storlek och utformning bör dagvattendammar och anlagda våtmarker generellt kunna förväntas fungera som effektiva barriärer mot spridning av mikroplast, svarta partiklar och röda partiklar. / Microplastics (MPs), here defined as plastic objects smaller than 5 mm, are suspected to cause great harm to fish when released into lakes and oceans. Studies of MP retention have until recently mainly been done for sewage treatment plants (STPs), where much of the plastics are shown to be retained in the sludge. However, due to large water flows in STPs, they can be seen as significant points for the spreading of MPs to recipient waters. Today there isn’t much information to be found about MP contents in stormwater. Stormwater is often released untreated and depending on climate it can be released in greater volumes than sewage water from urban areas. The occurrence of MPs >20 µm (>0.02 mm) has been studied in two STP effluents, and in stormwater from three urban catchments. The retention of MPs has been studied for two stormwater ponds, and for two free water surface wetlands constructed for tertiary treatment of sewage. Wetland Alhagen and Örsundsbro wetland both receive the effluents of secondary STPs. In wetland Alhagen there is also a stormwater inlet from the town of Nynäshamn. To the stormwater pond Korsängens vattenpark, stormwater is lead from the town of Enköping, while the stormwater pond Tibbledammen receives stormwater from Kungsängen in Upplands-Bro municipality. Influents and effluents from the facilities, as well as water from two points within wetland Alhagen was pumped through 20 µm and 300 µm filters. In addition, water from every sampling point was collected in minor volumes for later filtration carried out in a laboratory. Quantification was done with microscopy and a number of objects were analyzed with FTIR spectroscopy for material determination. In wetland Alhagen, the sewage inlet contained 4 MPs/liter, which is similar to results for STP effluents in other Swedish studies. In Örsundsbro wetland, the incoming water contained more than 950 MPs/liter, far greater than what other studies have shown for untreated sewage. The MP concentrations in the three stormwater inlets were between 5.4-10 MPs/liter. This indicates that untreated stormwater could be seen as a pathway for MPs at least as big as treated sewage. In almost all inlets, characteristic red particles were found in great numbers and in sizes of 20-300 µm. Analysis of some of the red particles indicated that they contained plastic while others were of unknown materials. The particles had a similar appearance to red particles commonly found in Swedish coastal waters. Black particles, a kind of microscopic particles that may originate in tyre wear (i.e. MPs) or combustion, was also found in large quantities. Except for in the main influents of wetland Alhagen, where the number of red particles was slightly higher, the black particles were always found in far greater numbers than both regular MPs and red particles (often >100x greater). The retention of MPs, black particles and red particles >20 µm was high in all the facilities, often around 90-100 percent. Based on these results and the variation of size, design and year of construction, stormwater ponds and constructed free water surface wetlands can be seen as effective barriers against the spreading of MPs.

Wood is a natural raw material, and would hardly be considered a risk to the environment. However, the handling of wood materials on an industrial scale has been shown to have a negative impact on water bodies that run-off from industrial sites that process wood-based materials. Most investigations related to water pollution from wood-based industries have focused on large industrial sites such as pulp and paper mills. The goal of the present thesisis to understand better such environmental problems and treatment solutions that occur at most wood handling sites. Where there are large outdoor storage areas for logs and sawdust that are exposed to rainfall or irrigation, such as the wooden-floor and bio-energy sectors. Leachate generated by the contact of water with wood in storage areas contains a large amount of organic matter that is potentially hazardous to water bodies that receive run-off from the site. It has been found that different wood species yield different leachate compositions, with leachate from oak having the highest pollutants content, followed by leachate from pine. This investigation shows that oak has the potential to leach about 10 times the amount of polyphenols compared with other investigated species (i.e., pine, beech and maple). Furthermore, oak leachates have the lowest ratio of biological oxygen demand at 7 days tochemical oxygen demand (0.12), which suggests a potential problem with the biological degradation of this leachate. It has also been shown that leachate from wood are potentially toxic to aquatic organisms. Treatability studies with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of wood leachate were conducted on a pilot scale as part of the scope of this thesis. The results showed, among other options, the possibility of using constructed wetlands to treat leachate. It was found that plants and aeration can affect the performance of a wetland. However, the most important factor is the time water spends in the wetland. Filter material that could be used to absorb leachate was also studied. A filter consisting of a mixture of peat and ash (from incinerated organic matter), was used to absorb a specific chemical group (polyphenols) in the leachate. It was also shown that polyphenols are vulnerable to ozone, representing a third viable treatment process. / Trä är ett naturligt råmaterial som knappast anses vara en risk för miljön. Däremot har hanteringen av trämaterial i industriell skala visat sig ha negativ inverkan på vattendrag. De flesta utredningar avseende vattenföroreningar inom träbaserade industrier har fokuserat på stora industrier med stor vattenförbrukning så som massa- och pappersbruk. Lakvatten som alstras vid kontakten mellan vatten och trä innehåller höga halter av organiska ämnen som är potentiellt farliga för vattendrag. Målet med denna avhandling är att få kunskap om ovanstående miljöproblem och möjlig behandlingar av dessa. Förorenat lakvatten skapas av industrier, där stora mängder timmer och sågspån är placerade utomhus och utsätts för regn och bevattning, såsom inom trägolv och bioenergisektorn. Man har funnit att lakning från olika träslag ger olika sammansättningar på lakvattnet, där lakvatten från ek har den högsta halten av föroreningar följt av furu. Denna undersökning visar att ek har potential att laka ut tio gånger så mycket polyfenoler jämfört med andra undersökta arter (tall, bok och lönn). Dessutom har lakvatten från ek den lägsta andelen av biologisk syreförbrukning efter 7dagar per kemisk syreförbrukning (0,12), vilket tyder på ett potentiellt problem med den biologiska nedbrytningen av detta lakvatten. Man har även påvisat att lakvattnet från trä är potentiellt giftigt för akvatiska organismer. Studier för att försöka minska miljöpåverkan av lakvatten från denna trädsort gjordes i pilotskala inom ramen för denna avhandling. Dessa studier visade bland annat på möjligheterna att använda sig av våtmarker som reningsmetod, där växter och luftning påverkar hur bra en våtmark fungerar. Men den viktigaste faktorn var den ökade uppehållstiden som vattnet får i våtmarken. Utöver studier av våtmarker har också ett filtermaterial studerats, filtret bestod av en blandning av torv och aska, som användes för att absorbera en specifik kemisk grupp i lakvattnet (polyfenoler). I en tredje typ av behandlingsprocess visade det sig också att polyfenoler effektivt kan brytas ned av ozon.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg 2016 / Horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF CWs) are being considered in South Africa as an alternative waste water treatment technology which is low in capital costs and typically requires less operational infrastructure when compared to conventional treatment technologies. HSSF CWs may thus be a potential solution for solving the challenge of ensuring reliable access to clean water for rural communities whose municipalities may not be able to afford the construction of a waste water treatment plant as well as not being able to supply sufficient technical expertise for the operation thereof. Proper design of HSSF CWs requires a detailed investigation into the hydraulic behaviour as it has a direct effect on the treatment performance in these systems. In this study, three available hydraulic modelling methodologies for HSSF CWs were compared and these are the impulse, step change integral and step change derivative modelling methodologies. Hydraulic data were generated from planted and unplanted pilot scale HSSF CWs using residence time distribution (RTD) studies and the modelling results using each methodology were compared. It was found that each methodology was capable of suggesting a different hydraulic behaviour for the same system being studied and since it is not possible to evaluate an analytical answer to the problem independently it was not possible to determine which modelling methodology was the most accurate. Practical limitations of the experiments used to feed hydraulic data to the respective methodologies were also highlighted. Despite a well-designed sampling regime it was not possible to capture sufficient data surrounding the peak of the impulse response curve and may have impacted negatively on the modelling results. No such difficulties were encountered with the step change tracer experiments. The mathematical techniques which each methodology employs were also critically assessed. It was found that numerical differentiation in the step change derivative modelling approach introduced noise into the RTD curve and may have affected subsequent results. Ultimately each methodology has its own associated strengths and weaknesses and choice of methodology may be dictated by other factors such as cost to set up the hydraulic experiment as well as equipment availability. Tasks two and three of this dissertation dealt with how Biomimicry can be used as a tool to develop more sustainable HSSF CW designs and hydraulic modelling processes. In task two, hydraulic data generated from the first task were used to develop estimates of the velocity profiles inside a planted HSSF CW to identify regions most prone to clogging, a phenomenon which would be a serious concern for rural communities whose sole water treatment system would be the CW. Biomimetic design principles were combined with the modelling results to develop a modular system design allowing for sections of the CW to be removed for cleaning while still allowing for continuous treatment of the waste water. Task three explored the use of heat as a hydraulic tracer. Heat is considered more environmentally friendly when compared to chemicals as tracers as the CW can equilibrate to ambient conditions post study and the effluent does not require dedicated disposal infrastructure. Heat is non-conservative in these systems and processes such as absorption by the subsurface media and loss to the surroundings distort the hydraulic response curve from which the hydraulic behaviour cannot be directly obtained. In this study a mathematical model was developed which maps a heat tracer response curve to one which would be obtained if a conservative chemical tracer were used. It was tested by conducting a combined heat-chemical tracer study on an unplanted laboratory-scale HSSF CW and the predicted chemical response curve was compared with the actual experimental response curve. The model performed satisfactorily indicated by a 5% and 6% relative difference in the Peclet number (Pe) and mean of the RTD respectively. In each of these chapters, an abstract is provided which summarizes the main findings of the study. / MT2017

A presente pesquisa abordou o estudo em escala real do tratamento de lixiviado de aterro sanitário em um sistema composto por dois filtros anaeróbios seguidos de dois banhados construídos. O trabalho foi desenvolvido na estação de tratamento de lixiviado do aterro sanitário pertencente à Central de Resíduos do Recreio, localizada em Minas do Leão/RS. Pretendeu-se verificar a eficiência do sistema na remoção de matéria orgânica e de nitrogênio amoniacal. A fase 1 da pesquisa, que avaliou o desempenho dos filtros anaeróbios quando operados em série, indicou que a quase totalidade da remoção de matéria orgânica facilmente biodegradável ocorreu no primeiro filtro, evidenciando que, para o tratamento do lixiviado em questão, não é interessante a utilização de dois filtros anaeróbios de fluxo ascendente semelhantes em série. A fase 2 avaliou o desempenho dos filtros anaeróbios operados em paralelo e dos banhados construídos. Foi possível concluir-se que: filtros anaeróbios de fluxo ascendente são excelente alternativa para o tratamento de lixiviado de aterro sanitário, pois podem viabilizar remoções de matéria orgânica superiores a 50%; banhados construídos representam uma ecotecnologia interessante para o complemento do tratamento de lixiviado, pois podem viabilizar elevadas remoções de N-amoniacal. / This study discussed the sanitary landfill leachate treatment in a full scale system composed by two upflow anaerobic filters followed by two constructed wetlands. The research was developed at the landfill leachate treatment station owned by Recreio Central Waste, located in Minas do Leão/RS. The objective of the study was to verify the efficiency of the system in the removal of organic matter and ammonia nitrogen. The phase 1 of the study, which evaluated the performance of anaerobic filters when operated in series, indicated that almost all of the removal of organic matter readily biodegradable occurred in the first filter, showing that, for the treatment of leachate concerned, it is not interesting the use of two similar upflow anaerobic filters in series. The phase 2 assessed the performance of the anaerobic filters, operated in parallel, and the constructed wetlands. It could be concluded that: upflow anaerobic filters are excellent alternative for the sanitary landfill leachate treatment, as they may facilitate removal of organic matter greater than 50%; constructed wetlands represent an interesting eco-technology to complement the leachate treatment, which can enable high removals of N-ammonia.

A utilização de sistemas de alagados construídos (SACs), como alternativa para o tratamento de diversos tipos de efluentes, tem sido objeto de diversos estudos devido as suas vantagens: baixo custo de implantação e manutenção, ausência de odores, boa qualidade de efluente final e poder paisagístico. O presente estudo teve como finalidade implantar e monitorar um SAC híbrido, em escala piloto, composto por uma unidade contínua subsuperficial de fluxo horizontal (SFH) seguido por uma unidade intermitente subsuperficial de fluxo vertical (SFV) com recirculação. A vegetação utilizada foi a Canna x generalis, popularmente conhecido com Biri, visando o tratamento de água negra simulada pré tratada por reator UASB. Foram implantados na estação de tratamento de esgoto Monjolinho, da cidade de São Carlos – SP. Foram utilizados tempos de detenção hidráulico (TDH) de 1, 2 e 3 dias para o SAC SFH, e o monitoramento do experimento durou, aproximadamente, 6 meses consecutivos. Avaliou-se parâmetros físico-químicos, eficiências de remoção de material orgânico, nutrientes e microrganismos, além da avaliação da presença de antibióticos no efluente. A espécie plantada se adaptou bem às condições ambientais, mostrando-se viável seu uso em SACs. O sistema de tratamento foi responsável, em média, por remoção de 71,4 % de DQO, 73,1% de DBO, 41,3% de carbono orgânico total, 32,1% de N total, 30,9% de N amoniacal, 47,4% de P total e 47,3% de ortofosfato. A remoção de coliformes totais variou de 0 a 2 unidades logarítmicas, e a de Escherichia coli de 0 a 3,5 unidades logarítmicas. A elevação do TDH e a diminuição das taxas de aplicação hidráulica, influenciaram positivamente na eficiência de remoção, principalmente, dos nutrientes e dos coliformes totais. Apenas o antibiótico ciprofloxacina teve sua presença confirmada no afluente do ponto de amostragem da entrada do SAC SFH, com média de concentração de 442,6 ng/L. Supostamente há um mecanismo de remoção de antibióticos ocorrendo nos SACs, devido à presença desse analito apenas no seu afluente, se tornando um potencial para experimentos futuros sobre remoção de antibióticos. Tais resultados mostraram o SAC como uma alternativa promissora para o pós tratamento de efluente concentrado pré tratado anaerobiamente, oferecendo subsídios para planos de saneamento básico, principalmente em áreas descentralizadas, mas dependendo da utilização que se dará ao efluente após o tratamento, pode ser necessária a utilização de um processo de desinfecção. / The use of constructed wetlands systems (CWSs) as an alternative for the treatment of several types of wastewater have been the subject of studies due to its benefits: low cost of deployment and maintenance, absence of odors, good quality of the final effluent and landscaping application. The present study had the purpose to implement and monitor a pilot hybrid CWS composed of a continuous horizontal subsurface flow unit (HSF) followed by a vertical subsurface flow unit (VSF), with a recirculation. The vegetation used was Canna x generalis, popularly known as Biri. This system aimed the treatment of simulated black water pre-treated by UASB reactor, and it was deployed at the Monjolinho sewage treatment plant, in São Carlos – SP. Hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 1, 2 and 3 days were used for the HSF CWS, and the monitoring of the experiment lasted approximately 6 consecutive months. It was evaluated the physical-chemical parameters, the efficiency of removal of organic matter, nutrients and microrganisms, and the presence of antibiotics in the effluent. The specie planted showed a good adaptation to the environmental conditions, showing its viability in CWSs. On average, the treatment system was responsible for removal of 71.4% COD, 73.1% BOD, 41.3% total organic carbon, 32.1% total N, 30.9% N Ammonia, 47.4% of total P and 47.3% of orthophosphate. The total coliforms removal ranged from 0 to 2 log units and the Escherichia coli from 0 to 3.5 log units. The elevation of HRT and the decrease of hydraulic application rates, showed a positively influence on the removal efficiency, mainly of nutrients and total coliforms. Only the antibiotic ciprofloxacin was confirmed in the affluent of the input sampling point of CWS HSF, with a mean concentration of 442.6 ng/L. Supposedly there is a mechanism of antibiotic removal occurring in CWSs, due to the presence of this analyte only in its affluent, becoming a potential for future experiments on antibiotic removal. These results have shown the CWS as a promising alternative for post treatment of concentrated effluent anaerobically pre-treated, offering subsidies for basic sanitation plans, mainly in decentralized areas. However, depending on the use that will be given to the effluent after the treatment, it could be necessary to use a disinfection process.

A redução dos impactos da poluição difusa é ainda pouco explorada no Brasil, havendo ausência de critérios legais quanto à sua mitigação. Contudo, na esfera científica o seu impacto é reconhecido. Seguindo evidências de que há uma carência no tratamento de poluição difusa no país, este trabalho se propõe a analisar wetlands construídas como medidas de controle de poluição difusa, através de modelagens, para 4 áreas na bacia do córrego do Mineirinho. A exploração dessa proposta se deu por três abordagens paralelas. Na primeira, as wetlands foram projetadas para tratar o escoamento superficial de uma chuva crítica, de 61 minutos. Na segunda abordagem, foi utilizada uma chuva crítica de 24 horas de duração. Na terceira, utilizou-se o índice de precipitação anual. O escoamento superficial foi calculado conforme os coeficientes de runoff. Atribuíram-se valores de concentrações médias de evento para DBO e Fósforo aos tipos de uso e ocupação, obtendo-se concentrações médias nas águas pluviais a serem tratadas. O modelo P-k-C* foi empregado na primeira e terceira abordagens, para dimensionar os sistemas com base no desempenho de remoção de cargas. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram a aptidão dos sistemas em reduzir cargas e/ou concentrações na bacia, apresentando como principal limitação técnica o espaço demandado para sua implantação. Houve influência majoritária da infiltração na remoção de cargas, que agiu em conjunto com o decaimento de poluentes ao longo dos sistemas. Na primeira abordagem, o modelo P-k-C* apresentou limitações em prever o desempenho dos sistemas por não comportar vazões variáveis. A segunda abordagem foi a mais simples, baseada apenas no armazenamento do evento crítico, entretanto, há uma carência de relações empíricas traçadas experimentalmente para prever seu desempenho. A terceira abordagem se mostrou a mais adequada ao modelo P-k-C*, podendo ser aprimorada de duas formas: adaptações nas constantes cinéticas ou vazões equivalentes, a fim de descrever uma média anual de desempenho. Concluiu-se que wetlands construídas demonstram potencial para o tratamento de poluição difusa, porém há uma necessidade de estudos a fim de se adaptar as ferramentas de modelagem disponíveis. / Nonpoint source pollutions impacts are still a rarely explored theme in Brazil, in which there are no legal criteria for its treatment. Although, in the scientific sphere its impacts are well known. Following evidence that there is a lack of nonpoint source pollution treatment in Brazil, this study proposes to analyze constructed wetlands as a nonpoint source pollution control measure, through modelling, for four different areas in the Mineirinho stream watershed. This proposal was explored through three different approaches. At first, the wetlands were designed to threat a critic rainfall for flood estimation, with detailed hydrographs. On the second approach, the wetlands were design to fully contain a 24-hour critic rainfall. On the third approach, the wetlands were designed to treat the average annual rainfall. The runoff volumes were estimated by runoff coefficients, and event mean concentrations for BOD and TP were assigned to each source area, resulting in the stormwater quality estimation. The P-k-C* model was applied to calculate systems performance on the first and third approaches. The results showed the aptitude of the systems for reducing loads and concentrations in the watershed, although mainly limited by the availability of areas. Infiltration had a major hole in reducing loads, although there were also significant amounts of pollutant removed by the systems. At the first approach, the P-k-C* model presented limitations on describing stormwater treatment, because of its unsteady and intermittent characteristics. The second approach was the simplest, based on containing the whole runoff volume, but it also showed a lack of studies stablishing empiric relations to estimate its performance. The third approach was the most adequate to the P-k-C* model, which usage could be improved by two adaptations in its parameters: kinetic coefficient adaptations or the adoption of equivalent steady flows, to describe the annual wetland performance. The study concluded that constructed wetlands show great promise for treating nonpoint source pollution in the watershed, but there is a need of more studies to regionalize empiric solutions available in the scientific literature, to apply the designing techniques with greater precision.

As wetlands construídas estão entre as tecnologias eficientes recentemente comprovadas para tratamento e polimento de águas residuárias. Comparando com os sistemas convencionais de tratamento, são de baixo custo, fácil operação e manutenção. Esta pesquisa objetivou avaliar estudos de caso nacionais de utilização de wetlands para tratamento de efluentes em nível terciário com a finalidade de efetuar a remoção de nutrientes, buscando estabelecer parâmetros técnicos, operacionais e de manutenção. Foram avaliados sistemas que utilizaram como macrófita: Typha, Vetiver zizanioides L.Nash, Colocasia esculenta, Hedychium coronarium, Heliconia psittacorum, and Cyperus alternifolius; através de fluxos superficial e subsuperficial; o material filtrante foi brita e areia e o tempo de detenção hidráulica variou de 1,1 a 5 dias. Os resultados encontrados variaram de 5,6 por cento a 93,9 por cento para remoção de nitrogênio amoniacal e de 5 a 90,5 por cento para remoção de fósforo total. Constatou-se que a discrepância entre os resultados está associada ao tempo de detenção hidráulico utilizado, tipo de fluxo escolhido, material filtrante e manejo das macrófitas. Concluiu-se que a wetland construída pode ser usada como tratamento de efluentes em nível terciário para remoção de nutrientes, podendo-se afirmar que: a escolha da combinação de macrófita, material filtrante e fluxo deve ser feita de acordo com o efluente a ser tratado; não há um definição quanto ao tempo de detenção hidráulica ideal para cada sistema o que indica a necessidade de instalar pilotos para avaliação antes de implementar as estações em escala real; a poda deve ser feita respeitando o ciclo de desenvolvimento de cada espécie; é necessário realizar pesquisas que monitorem o sistema a longo prazo para avaliar o seu comportamento. / The constructed wetlands are among of the recently proven efficient technologies for treating and polishing of wastewater. Compared to conventional treatment systems, they are low cost, easily operated and maintained. This study aimed to evaluate national case studies of use of wetlands as a tertiary stage of wastewater treatment in order to make the removing of nutrients and establish technical, operational and maintenance parameters. The evaluated systems used as macrophyte: Typha, Vetiver zizanioides L.Nash, Colocasia esculenta, Hedychium coronarium, Heliconia psittacorum, and Cyperus alternifolius; through surface and subsurface flows; the filter material was gravel and sand and the hydraulic retention time ranged from 1.1 to 5 days. The results ranged from 5.6 per cent to 93.9 per cent for ammonia removal and from 5 to 90.5 per cent for total phosphorus removal. It was found that the discrepancy between the results is associated to the use of hydraulic detention time, to the type of flow, filter material and management of macrophytes. It was concluded that the constructed wetland can be used as tertiary stage of wastewater treatment for nutrients removal, it´s possible to say that: the combination between macrophyte, flow and filter material should be made in accordance with the effluent to be treated ; there is no definition as to the optimal hydraulic retention time for each system indicating the need to install a pilot treatment for evaluation before implementing the seasons full-scale; pruning should be done respecting the development cycle of each species; studies should be conducted to monitor the long-term system to evaluate their behavior.

The use of constructed wetlands and wet detention basins has proven to be highly effective in removing pollutants from industrial discharges and stormwater runoff throughout the world. This is attributed to design of the key treatment components in a constructed wetland, catchment source characteristics and climatic conditions. A disproportionate amount of research and monitoring effort has gone into constructed wetlands due to their cost effectiveness and ability to optimize multiple benefits. In Western Australia, several wetland monitoring studies on the role of constructed wetlands especially in Swan-Canning estuary have been done, but often do not address their design efficiencies in stormwater treatment. Two wetlands (Liege St and Tom Bateman wetland) constructed for nutrient stripping proximal to the Swan-Canning estuary have been monitored for two years. Liege St wetland was constructed to reduce the nutrients reaching the Canning River directly and improve the amenity value of the area. Similarly, Tom Bateman wetland was constructed to reduce nutrients of the Banister Creek catchment draining into the Canning River as well as for stormwater management and habitat use. Physicochemical and biological indicators were used to assess the nutrient stripping efficiency of the wetlands. In some cases, data from previous studies were used to determine the health and viability of the selected wetland sites. The limnological indicators used included; dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature, electrical conductivity and nutrient levels. The biological included; bacteria, nutrients and chlorophyll in periphyton, macroinvertebrates and diatoms. Differences in the community structure of periphyton, macroinvertebrates and water quality were found from the inlet to the outlet in both Liege St and Tom Bateman wetlands. / Despite the poor water quality, Liege St wetland exhibited significant nutrient removal efficiencies for TP while Tom Bateman wetland had very high removal efficiency for TN. The TP removal in Liege St wetland was attributed to the design of key treatment components which included a gross pollutant trap, concrete lined sedimentation pond, vegetated sumplands, weirs and clay lining for the wetland bed. In contrast, Tom Bateman wetland lacked the above key treatment components. Additionally, the wetland experienced short-circuiting especially during high flow periods. The high TN removal in Tom Bateman wetland was attributed to assimilation by plants and micro-organisms especially by the dense growth of Potamogeton crispus observed on the wetland floor and the non- biological transformation processes such as volatilisation, sorption and sedimentation. The poor water quality of the inflow in both wetlands was attributed to catchment characteristics which were not fully investigated in this study. In an attempt to improve the nutrient stripping function of Liege St and Tom Bateman wetland, changes to the wetland design and routine maintenance were suggested for Tom Bateman and Liege St wetland respectively. Also the use of the Swan-Canning Cleanup Programe (SCCP) water quality targets as opposed to the ANZECC trigger values in water quality assessments in constructed wetlands in the Swan-Canning estuary is suggested among others.

"Figures, tables and the appendices appear in the volume II". Bibliography: leaves 130-152.