Variable residence time-based model for BOD removal in free-water surface wetlands

Constructed wetlands have been increasingly used for treatment of secondary wastewater containing various contaminants. This paper presents a Variable Residence Time (VART)-based model, called VART-BOD model, for simulation of BOD removal processes in constructed wetlands with free water surface (FWS). Mathematically, the VART-BOD model describes a free water surface wetland with three vertical layers, including vegetated water column layer, advection-dominated upper root layer, and diffusion-dominated lower root layer. Biogeochemically, the VART-BOD model simulates various BOD removal processses and mechanisms, including monod kinetics of bacterial growth, mass exchange between water column and root layers, advection, dispersion, and diffusion. A unique feature of the VART-BOD model is the incorporation of a dynamic diffusion-dominated root-zone. The VART-BOD model was tested with data collected from two distinct FWS wetlands: Gustine Wetland, USA and Manzala Wetland, Egypt. Testing results showed that the coefficient of determination (r²) and root mean square error (RMSE) values vary in the ranges of 0.73–0.99 and 0.41–8.70 mg/L, respectively, for Gustine Wetland cells while r² = 0.98 and RMSE = 0.72 mg/L for Manzala Wetland. The VART-BOD model is a reliable and efficient tool for designing constructed wetlands and for understanding effects of various processes and mechanisms on the treatment efficiency of wastewater in constructed wetlands.