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 BOD
and COD removal was analysed for different wastewater hydraulic load levels: 0.72; 1.08; 1.44 dm
·d
. The best efficiency of BOD
and COD removal was obtained when the hydraulic load level was 1.08 dm
·d
, respectively 83.8 and 72.3%. The average values of BOD
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.
Due to the high nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in wastewater from soilless cultivation of tomatoes, the sludge formed during wastewater treatment can be used as a source of nutrients in ...agriculture. The effect of electrical direct current (DC) density (J) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) in a rotating electrobiological contactor (REBDC) on the quantity and quality of sludge generated in the process of tomato soilless cultivation wastewater treatment was determined. The cathode consisted of discs immobilized with biomass, while the anode was an aluminum electrode. HRTs of 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 24 h and (J) of 0.63, 1.25, 2.50, 5.00, and 10.00 A/m2 were applied. The study showed that the increase in (J) caused an increase in the amount of sludge generated. The increase of (J) contributed to increased concentrations of biogenes in the sludge, whereas extension of HRT at a given current density contributed to increased concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus (up to 6.2% and 0.8% respectively) and to the reduced content of organic matter (up to 23.04%). The examined sludge was stabilized, sanitary, and safe, and may be an alternative to mineral fertilizers. This study showed that larger sludge amounts are produced in a DC mode aerobic REBDC than in an alternating current anaerobic one.
The object of the present study was to analyse water consumption in a four-person household (park employee housing) located in the village of Kulczyn in Polesie National Park (PNP) in Poland. The ...wastewater from the buildings was discharged to a hybrid constructed wetland integrated into a closed-loop water system. As part of the study, seasonal, weekly, and daily changes in water consumption and the amount of water used to flush the toilets were determined over a period of one year. It was shown that the average daily water consumption in the entire house was 437 L/d, or 109 L/p/d (litres/person/day). The average daily water consumption per capita was, therefore, similar to that reported for Poland by the European Commission and much lower than that reported for Western European countries (150–250 L/p/d). The highest water withdrawals were recorded in the spring season (March–May) at 117–122 L/p/d, and the lowest in the holiday month of July—88 L/p/d. The highest water consumption levels during the week were recorded on Saturdays—an average of 136 L/p/d, and the lowest on Wednesdays—an average of 92 L/p/d. During the 24 h of a day, the highest water withdrawals were observed late in the evening (10–11 pm) and periodically in the morning (around 10 am), on weekends, and during the holiday period (July and August). It was shown that the amount of water used to flush toilets represented on average about 20% of the total amount of water consumed. This indicates that approximately 88 L/d of water was used to flush the toilets in the homestead under study.
Data for the years 2001–2020 on changes in the amount of rainwater in the Roztocze National Park (RNP) in the catchment area of the Świerszcz River (Poland) were investigated to evaluate the ...possibility of using rainwater in the park for various purposes in the context of ongoing climate variability. An analysis of data from the RNP’s Integrated Monitoring of the Natural Environment showed that the average annual air temperature increased by 2.1 °C over the 20-year period, while the amount of precipitation decreased, especially in the winter seasons. These changes periodically led to a negative hydrological balance. As an effect, the groundwater table was gradually lowering, the flow of the Świerszcz River was reduced, and there were periodic shortages of water feeding the Echo Ponds. Water shortages also negatively affected the flora and fauna of the RNP. In order to quantitatively protect the Park’s water resources, a proposition was made to build a rainwater management system at the Animal Breeding Centre in Florianka to provide water for watering Polish Konik horses, flushing toilets, washing cars and agricultural equipment, and fire-prevention purposes. The excess water would be discharged to a nearby pond, which is an amphibian breeding site. It was estimated that the system was capable of meeting 100% of the demand for lower-quality water in the summer period. Moreover, it was determined that 9109 m3 of rainwater could be obtained annually from the roofs of all public utility buildings located in the RNP.
The aim of the present study was to analyze changes in water consumption which took place in the years 2011–2020 in the Educational-Museum Center of Poleski National Park (Poland), from which ...wastewater is discharged to a hybrid constructed wetland wastewater treatment plant. Water consumption was shown to be dependent on the number of visitors to the museum. As the number of visitors grew from 11,000 in 2011 to over 55,000 in 2019, the annual water consumption increased from 131 to 430 m3. Along with an increase in the percentage of individual visitors in the total number of visitors to the museum from over 40% in 2011–2017 to over 80% in 2020, water consumption per person decreased from 12.21 dm3 .d-1 to 7.18 dm3 .d-1. The average daily water consumption per one visitor in 2011–2020 was 10.4 dm3 .d-1, a value that was similar to the water consumption standard for museums (10 dm3 .d-1) set out in the Regulation of the Polish Minister of Infrastructure of 14 January 2002 on defining average water consumption standards. The average daily amount of water used in the museum building in the individual months of the year ranged from 0.12 to 1.28 m3/d. The highest average daily water consumption was recorded in the high tourist season (May–August), and the lowest in the low tourist season (January–April, September–December).
The paper presents the results of a 3-year study on the technological reliability and the efficiency of typical domestic wastewater treatment in two hybrid constructed wetland systems (CWs) located ...in the area of the Roztocze National Park (Poland). The studied objects consist of an initial settling tank and a system of two beds of the vertical flow (VF) and horizontal flow (HF) (VF–HF) type with reed and willow. The wastewater flow rate in the constructed wetlands systems (CWs) was 0.4 and 1.0 m3/d, respectively. During the study period (2017–2019) 20 series of analyses were performed and 60 wastewater samples were collected. Based on the obtained results the effects of pollutant removal and the technological reliability were determined, which were specified with the Weibull method. The average efficiency of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was 96–99%. Slightly lower effects were obtained in the case of total phosphorus (TP) removal (90–94%), as well as for total suspended solids (TSS) (80–87%) and total nitrogen (TN) (73–86%) removal. The analysed CWs were characterised by 100% technological reliability for BOD5 and COD, as well as a good reliability for TSS and TP (87–100%) but slightly lower for TN removal (35–89%). Hybrid CWs of VF–HF type should be recommended to use in protected areas for wastewater treatment and water resources quality protection.
This study presents the efficiency of TSS and organic pollutants (BOD5 and COD) removal in a hybrid constructed wetland wastewater treatment plant (VF-HF type) with an aeration system. This study was ...conducted over 6 years (2017–2022) in a facility with a capacity of 4.5 m3/day located in southeastern Poland and designed to treat real domestic wastewater from a school building. The studied facility consists of a three-chambered septic tank, a pumping station with an aeration system, and two beds with vertical and horizontal flow planted with giant miscanthus and willow. As a result of artificial aeration, the dissolved oxygen concentration in wastewater after mechanical treatment increased significantly, by an average of 1.18 mg O2/L, and was negatively correlated with wastewater temperature. The cumulative pollutant removal effects of the treatment plant (primary settling tank + VFCW + HFCW) were 81% for TSS, 98% for BOD5, and 89% for COD. There was no statistically significant effect of aeration on the organic pollutant removal effects in the VF bed, and such an effect was found for the temperature of wastewater entering the VF bed. The TSS, BOD5, and COD removal effects in the VF bed and BOD5 in the VF-HF system were positively correlated with air temperature. The technological reliability of the treatment plant was 98% for TSS and 100% for BOD5 and COD. The use of artificial aeration of wastewater makes it possible to achieve high organic pollutant removal efficiency in SSF CWs and to compensate for limitations due to the reduction in the area of constructed wetland beds.
This study assessed the operational efficiency of a hybrid constructed wetland in its first year of use. The test facility was put into operation in September 2022 and has since been utilized to ...treat 0.4 m3/d of wastewater discharged from a forester's lodge located in the Polesie National Park in Poland. The treatment plant consists of a two-chamber primary settling tank integrated with a pumping station, and a system of two beds – a vertical flow (VF) reed bed and a horizontal flow (HF) willow bed. During the research period (October 2022 to December 2023), 14 test runs were performed during which 56 sewage samples were collected for physico-chemical and microbiological assays. The results of these tests were used to determine the pollutant removal efficiency of the CW. The composition of treated wastewater was compared against the current Polish requirements for this type of facilities. The study also included measurements of influent and effluent volumes and the amount of rainwater entering the treatment plant. It was shown that precipitation in each month of the study accounted for between 6–34% of influent volume. The volume of wastewater discharged from the treatment plant during the study period was 11% lower than the volume of incoming wastewater combined with rainwater. It was found that the CW removed an average of over 90% of total suspended solids, BOD5, COD, Escherichia coli bacteria and fecal enterococci from wastewater. Slightly lower removal efficiencies were achieved in the case of total nitrogen and total phosphorus (60–74%). Already during the start-up period, the composition of treated wastewater discharged from the CW met the requirements set out in the current Polish legal regulations. The present study shows that hybrid VF-HF constructed wetlands can be recommended for use in protected areas for wastewater treatment and protection of water against eutrophication.
The aim of this study was to determine the quality of rainwater and the possibility of using it for various purposes in the Roztocze National Park (RNP), Poland. This study was carried out in ...2021–2022. Samples of rainwater that drained from the roofs of farm buildings in the RNP were tested for their organoleptic, physicochemical and microbiological qualities. The organoleptic tests were run to evaluate the water for a foreign odour and the threshold odour number. The physical and chemical tests included turbidity; colour; pH; conductivity; concentrations of ammonium ions, nitrates, nitrites, manganese, iron and chlorides; and general hardness. The microbiological tests included total microbial counts at 36 °C and 22 °C, coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, intestinal enterococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The rainwater quality results were compared with the quality parameters of surface water collected from the River Świerszcz, as well as with the Polish drinking water standards. The findings indicated that rainwater collected in the RNP had good organoleptic, physicochemical and microbiological properties, which, in some cases, complied with the standards for potable water. Exceedances of the permissible limits, mainly for ammonium ions and microbiological indicators, were periodically observed in the tested rainwater. This was probably due to contamination of roof surfaces with bird droppings. However, these exceedances did not exclude the use of the rainwater for economic purposes, e.g., flushing toilets, washing vehicles or watering plants, which may significantly reduce the abstraction of high-quality groundwater. The rainwater that is planned to be used as drinking water for the Polish konik horses living in the park will have to be pre-treated via filtration and disinfection processes (e.g., with a UV lamp).
The present study was focused on the characterization of the biocenotic diversity of saprotrophic fungi, taking into account the impact of various treatment systems and technological stages as well ...as the physicochemical properties of wastewater. The biodegradation potential, the hazard posed to humans, animals, and the environment, and the effectiveness of elimination of propagules were evaluated. The most effective elimination of fungal propagules was recorded in hybrid constructed wetland systems with horizontal (HF-CW) and vertical (VF-CW) wastewater flow, especially in the VF-HF objects. The fungal communities present in wastewater from small constructed wetland (CW) and wastewater stabilization ponds (WSP) were dominated by ubiquitous terrestrial molds accompanied by a minimal number of yeasts. The similarity of the species composition of the fungal communities between the treatment plants was generally low, whereas the species diversity together with the population size was very high at the various stages of wastewater treatment. Species with potential pathogenicity to humans and animals accounted for over 45%, i.e., were classified as BioSafety Level 1 and 2 (BSL-1 and BSL-2 groups), and potentially phytopathogenic fungi represented 31.5% of the mycobiota species composition. The dynamics of fungal growth were correlated with the content of organic pollutants and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and with oxygen deficiency. The accumulation of nitrates corresponded to the decline in the frequency of fungi in treated wastewater. The lowest efficiency of the removal of fungi was exhibited by the biological wastewater stabilization ponds.
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