TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER FROM THE ELECTROPLATING INDUSTRY USING INTENSIFIED WETLANDS AT THE MICROCOSM LEVEL

Constructed wetland (CW) prototypes were tested as a non-conventional treatment of wastewater from an electroplating industry, the systems worked with the subsurface vertical flow with water recirculation. Two types of substrates were evaluated, natural zeolite and metallurgical slag. The prototypes were designated as PCW-Z and PCW-E, respectively. The PCWs were vegetated with Phragmites australis and worked for 29 weeks including a plant adaptation period and a treatment period. Industrial wastewater was added for 16 weeks and the initial and final values of copper, COD, TSS, detergents, electrical conductivity, and pH were evaluated. The contact of the wastewater with the plants generated a reduction in their population, at the end of the process the PCW-Z had an average loss of 9 plants, however, new shoots continued to be generated, showing the high resistance of the plants to copper-contaminated effluents. The wastewater treatment results showed copper removal percentages of 95.8 % for PCW-Z and 96.7 % for PCW-E, values corresponding to the first four weeks of treatment. After 16 weeks, the percentage of removal decreased in a range of 0 to 10% on average for both substrates. PCWs proved to be efficient in the removal of TSS and detergents during the whole treatment process with percentages of 95.1 % and 94.8 %, respectively. Based on the results, it can be said that PCWs are efficient in the treatment of wastewater from the electroplating industry when low copper concentrations are present; however, a key aspect to be taken care of is the high salinity that this type of water contains since it was not possible to reduce the concentration with these systems, generating negative effects on the plants and the substrate; therefore, prior treatment is recommended before applying the effluent to the constructed wetlands.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: González-Pereyra, Daniela, Cisneros-Almazán , Rodolfo, Cisneros-Pérez, Rodolfo, Guadiana-Alvarado, Z. Arturo, Soto-Peña, Gerson A.
Format: Digital revista
Language:spa
Published: Instituto de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 2022
Online Access:https://www.revistas.unam.mx/index.php/aidis/article/view/80492
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