Wetlands constructed with half a support of digested sludge of Water Treatment Plant applied to phosphorus and nitrogen removal from wastewater
Sewage treatment is necessary to prevent the contamination of water resources with substances that could alter their natural state. Among the pollutants, nutrients, notably phosphorus and nitrogen, stand out, as they are essential elements for the growth of various organisms, including those responsible for eutrophication of surface waters. Constructed Wetlands (WC) are systems considered ecological, which can be applied to remove these compounds, when the system design is designed for this purpose. However, it is very common in toilets to use crushed stone as a support material, which allows the formation of a biofilm of interest for biological removal of organic material, nitrogen and phosphorus. Recently, studies show that different support materials have advantages over gravel, for example, "sludge" waste from Water Treatment Plants (WTP), with excellent phosphorus adsorption properties. In this sense, the present study evaluated the behavior of a modified WC pilot system, using WTP digested sludge as a medium and different operational conditions, such as hydraulic detention times and microaeration, in the removal of phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater.