Tertiary treatment of effluent from a dairy industry applying pilot-scale constructed wetlands

Abstract

Rafaela being in one of the main dairy watershed, has numerous dairy industries. These produce a large volume of effluents that, although they are treated through different methods, in most cases exceed the dump limits established by current regulations. The object of the study is the evaluation of the efficiency of horizontal subsurface flow wetlands (HSSFW) for tertiary effluent treatment of a dairy industry. A pilot wetland simulating HSSFW was disposed, and specimens of T. domingensis were planted using boulders as a substrate. Various bacteriological and physicochemical contaminants were measured in the effluent in and out after a residence time of 7 days. The treated effluent presented values below the limits established by the provincial legislation for most of the parameters evaluated.