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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Mesocosm-Scale Constructed Wetland Design for Wastewater Treatment
Published on: May 2, 2025
Processes impacting on benzene removal in vertical-flow constructed wetlands
Xianqiang Tang1, Paul Emeka Eke, Miklas Scholz
1College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, PR China.
Constructed wetlands effectively removed benzene from produced wastewater, achieving up to 90% efficiency. Effluent quality parameters like chemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen influenced benzene removal rates in this wastewater treatment study.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Water Treatment Technologies
- Wastewater Remediation
Background:
- Produced wastewater often contains low molecular weight hydrocarbons, including benzene, posing environmental risks.
- Effective treatment methods are crucial for managing industrial wastewater contamination.
- Constructed wetlands offer a potential sustainable solution for hydrocarbon removal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the benzene removal efficiency of vertical-flow constructed wetlands in treating produced wastewater.
- To assess the influence of indoor versus outdoor conditions on treatment performance.
- To identify key effluent parameters correlated with benzene removal.
Main Methods:
- Utilized vertical-flow constructed wetlands over a 30-month research period.
- Introduced wastewater with a benzene concentration of 1 g L(-1).
- Monitored benzene removal efficiencies and analyzed effluent parameters including BOD(5), COD, NO(3)-N, DO, EC, pH, redox potential, temperature, and turbidity.
Main Results:
- Mean benzene removal efficiencies ranged from 88.71% to 89.77% in indoor wetlands and 72.66% to 80.46% in outdoor wetlands.
- Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) showed the strongest positive correlations with effluent benzene concentrations.
- pH, redox potential, temperature, and turbidity exhibited negative correlations with effluent benzene concentrations.
Conclusions:
- Vertical-flow constructed wetlands demonstrate significant potential for benzene reduction in produced wastewater.
- Indoor wetland systems generally outperformed outdoor systems in benzene removal efficiency.
- Effluent characteristics such as COD, DO, pH, and redox potential are critical indicators influencing the effectiveness of constructed wetlands for benzene remediation.
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