Natural Treatment of High-Strength Reverse Osmosis Concentrate by Constructed Wetlands for Reclaimed Water Use

A pilot study using natural treatment methods such as a horizontal subsurface flow in constructed wetlands to treat the reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) was conducted to manage nutrient and metals to reclaim the product water for the coastal wetlands and agriculture use. ROC had a significantly greater concentration of constituents than concentrations typically found in effluent of secondary treated wastewater. During the six-month wetland pilot study, the removal of nutrients from the ROC was monitored. Bulrush (Schoenoplectus californicus), a common wetland plant, tolerated high total dissolved solids (11,000-12,700 mg/L) and provided significant mass removal of nutrients in the concentrate (61% removal of nitrogen and 21% removal of phosphorus) under two hydraulic residence times (HRT1 = 2.5 days and HRT2 = 5 days). Concentration-based reductions of oxidized nitrogen, ammonia-nitrogen, orthophosphate were 63%, 23%, and 23% during HRT1 and 55%, 24%, and 11% during HRT2, respectively. Nutrient mass balance estimates of this microbially dominated wetland system and analysis of mass transformation pathways were also performed. Because of evaporative water loss, mass removal efficiencies were significant. Key processes included denitrification for nitrogen removal, possibly supplemented with Annamox reduction of NO3-N; labile carbon assimilation supporting oxidized nitrogen reduction; and phosphate-P uptake and precipitation within the gravel substrate. The results indicated that engineered wetland treatment offers useful benefits to the management of ROC produced from secondary treated effluent of wastewater through reduction in volume through evapotranspiration and reduction in concentration through biological transformations for beneficial reuse.