Nutrient removal in a pilot and full scale constructed wetland, Putrajaya city, Malaysia

• Published in: Journal of environmental management Vol. 88; no. 2; pp. 307 - 317
• Main Authors: Sim, Cheng Hua, Yusoff, Mohd Kamil, Shutes, Brian, Ho, Sinn Chye, Mansor, Mashhor
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2008; Elsevier; Academic Press Ltd
• Subjects: aerial parts; agricultural runoff; Ammonia - chemistry; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Articulata; Biological and medical sciences; bioremediation; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Constructed wetland; constructed wetlands; Construction activity; Cyperaceae; dry matter accumulation; Environmental management; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental regulations; eutrophication; flood control; Floods; Flora; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; lakes; Lepironia articulata; Malaysia; nitrate nitrogen; Nitrates - chemistry; nitrogen; Nitrogen - chemistry; Nutrient removal; nutrient retention; nutrient uptake; Nutrients; phosphates; Phosphates - chemistry; Phragmites; Phragmites karka; Pilot Projects; root systems; Species; stormwater; Surface flow; urban runoff; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; wastewater treatment; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Pollution, Chemical - prevention & control; Water quality; Wetland plant; Wetlands; Malaysia; Putrajaya Malaysia; Nutrient removal; Wetland plant; Constructed wetland; Surface flow; Plant; Artificial medium; Nutrient; Environmental management; Wetland
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.03.011

Putrajaya Wetlands in Malaysia, a 200 ha constructed wetland system consisting of 24 cells, was created in 1997–1998 to treat surface runoff caused by development and agricultural activities from an upstream catchment before entering Putrajaya Lake (400 ha). It was designed for stormwater treatment, flood control and amenity use. The water quality improvement performance of a section of the wetland cells is described. The nutrient removal performance was 82.11% for total nitrogen, 70.73% for nitrate–nitrogen and 84.32% for phosphate, respectively, along six wetland cells from Upper North UN6 to UN1 from April to December 2004. Nutrient removal in pilot scale tank systems, simulating a constructed wetland and planted with examples of common species at Putrajaya, the Common Reed Phragmites karka and Tube Sedge Lepironia articulata, and the capacity of these species to retain nutrients in above and below-ground plant biomass and substrate is reported. The uptake of nutrients by the Common Reed and Tube Sedge from the pilot tank system was 42.1% TKN; 28.9% P and 17.4% TKN; 26.1% P, respectively. The nutrient uptake efficiency of the Common Reed was higher in above-ground than in below-ground tissue. The results have implications for plant species selection in the design of constructed wetlands in Malaysia and for optimizing the performance of these systems.