Nutrient release from integrated constructed wetlands sediment receiving farmyard run-off and domestic wastewater

Constructed wetland sediments are frequently contaminated with nitrogen and phosphorus. There is a risk that accumulated pollutants can either be remobilised or reach the groundwater. Five identical mesocosms, which were filled with subsoil collected from full-scale integrated constructed wetland (the first cell receives the most contaminated influent), were set up to examine nutrient removal within sediment layers. The results indicated that accumulated nutrients leached out into inflow water and that the sediment capacity of nutrient retention decreased as the wetlands aged. Furthermore, the mesocosm planted with Phragmites australis achieved better treatment results compared with the one planted with Agrostis stolonifera. The risk of contamination to groundwater does not exist because none of the treated water reached the bottom outlet during the study period. Both the bentonite (clay) and biogeochemical processes taking place within sediments proved to be efficient in preventing polluted water from infiltrating into lower lying soils.