MODEL EXPRIMENTS ON THE TREATMENT OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE EFFLUENTS IN CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS – SYSTEMS COMPARISONS

Abstract

   In the laboratory, 3 different small-scale constructed wetland systems, a subsurface-flow wetland (SSF), a surface-flow wetland (SF) and a hydroponic system (HP), were characterized regarding the influence of design, distance from the inflow, sampling depth, season, etc. on the purification of a model acid mine drainage (AMD). In three constructed wetlands, the mean removal rates were 32 and 15% for acidity, 23 and 6% for sulfate, 58 and 38% for Fe, and 32 and 28% for Zn.  In general, the processing efficiency of the highest SSF system, followed by SF and final system is HP system. In the summer more efficiently handle the winter, at a depth of 15 cm better than 25 cm.