Salinity effect on the characteristics of saturated horizontal flow in small boxes containing Filtralite-P

Constructed wetlands are ecological systems that have proven their efficiency in treating wastewater and reducing pollutants of concern in both warm and cold climate. Oversizing these systems is common in the design process due to the inadequate knowledge about water movement in the porous media used. This study investigates the saturated horizontal flow pattern in a lightweight aggregates especially made for use in constructed wetlands termed Filtralite P using computer tomography and a chloride tracer under different hydraulic loading rates and inlet concentrations in a laboratory box experiment. The salt concentrations showed a major effect on the retention time and the flow by enhancing short-circuiting, preferential flow pattern. A hydraulic loading rate of 25 cm day(-1) is suggested as the safest loading rate with Filtralite P under different ranges of wastewater concentrations with a possibility to use a loading rate of 50 cm day(-1) only with municipal wastewater and not the industrial wastewater. The computer tomography images indicated that flow was going first to the bottom and then fluidise upward with a sharp boundary between the incoming and ambient water.