Biological treatment efficiency of wastewaters from a mining-processing plant by constructed floating wetland

¹ RUDN University, Miklouho-Maklaya st., 6, Moscow, 117198, Russia
² Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems – Subdivision of the Federal Research Centre Kola Scientific Centre of Russian Academy of Science, Akademgorodok, 14A, Apatity, 184209, Russia
³ Sirius University of Science and Technology, Olympiyskiy Avenue, 1, Federal territory "Sirius", 354340, Russia
⁴ RIVS Group of Companies, Zheleznovodskaya st., 11A, Saint Petersburg, 199155, Russia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

This paper presents the results of laboratory studies on the effectiveness of biological treatment of wastewater from a mining-processing plant for the removal of nitrogen compounds and phosphates. It was found that quarry wastewater and technological water are non-toxic or slightly toxic to plants and can be treated using constructed wetlands. Mine wastewater was toxic to the studied plants, making treatment impractical. Biological treatment with plants increased the removal of nitrate by 2.3-2.5 times, nitrite by 5.0 times, ammonium by 3.7-5.0 times, and phosphate by 16-30 times. Plants and microorganisms, growing in water and roots, were found to remove up to 86 mg nitrate, up to 2.25 mg nitrite, and up to 2.45 mg ammonium per 1 g of wet plant biomass per day. It has been calculated that a plant community on a 1 m² constructed floating wetland consisting of sedge (Carex sp.) and reed (Phragmites australis) can remove up to 35 g nitrate, 1.3 g nitrite, 1.0 g ammonium and 1.6 g phosphate from water per day.