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Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Mesocosm-Scale Constructed Wetland Design for Wastewater Treatment
Published on: May 2, 2025
Nitrogen removal from high-ammonia wastewater using vegetated biofiltration systems: Insights from 18-month mesocosm
Veljko Prodanovic1, Lihao Yuan2, Ana Deletic3
1School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia; Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research and Development of Serbia, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
Abstract:
As part of the decentralised wastewater treatment train vegetated biofiltration systems (VBS) can offer sustainable post-treatment for high-ammonia domestic wastewater partially-treated by decentralized anaerobic membrane bioreactors. This 18-month mesocosm study evaluated nitrogen removal performance of 55 VBS columns treating synthetic wastewater with ammonia concentrations up to 70 mgN·L-1. Seven plant species, two system designs (standard nitrification-denitrification and anammox-favouring), and varied hydraulic regimes were tested. Results showed average total nitrogen removal of 31.5 ± 15.8%, with consistent COD (>80%) and orthophosphate (>85%) removal. While vegetation effects were limited overall, Cyperus alternifolius and Canna indica enhanced nitrogen removal under specific conditions. Alternate-day dosing and lower dosing volumes improved performance through enhanced retention time and oxygen availability, while extended drying periods (20 days) impaired removal. Anammox-favouring columns achieved comparable nitrogen removal with reduced footprint. Findings demonstrate VBS viability as low-energy polishing systems and provide design optimization guidance for decentralized wastewater treatment applications.
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