Abstract
The vegetation of macrophytes is known to be an important factor in order to succeed in wastewater treatment with constructed wetlands (CWs). The aim of present study is to select the effective macrophyte species for wastewater treatment performance. The removal efficiencies of BOD, CODMn, nitrogen and phosphorus were evaluated among ten different macrophyte species in laboratory-scale subsurface flow CWs under the same experimental conditions (e.g. loading rate, climate and flow pattern). In all experimental systems excluding the Hibiscus canabinus-planted CW, high and stable performance on BOD and CODMn removal was maintained during the experimental periods. However, there are differences in nutrient removal among macrophyte species. Especially, CWs planted with Canna generalis and Zizania latifolia were highly effective for wastewater treatment in these CWs. On the other hands, CWs planted with Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis which were commonly used in CWs showed an average purification performance.
