A multistage mesocosm vertical flow constructed wetland system was designed to treat synthetic domestic wastewater with a high nitrogen (N) load. The study aim was to determine the impact of design and operational variables on N removal efficiency in such systems. A tidal flow operational strategy enhanced aeration and was coupled with a step-feeding approach to promote N removal. Over the 420-day running period N removal rates were between 70 and 77 gN/m3/d, for a step-feeding ratio range of 60:40 to 80:20. The system was able to remove 91–95% of chemical oxygen demand, 74–91% of ammonium and 66–81% of total-N. Tidal flow and step-feeding strategies significantly impacted nitrogen removal with the best performance at a step-feeding ratio of 80:20 providing a carbon to nitrogen (COD/N) ratio of 4–5. The bacterial diversity increased at each stage throughout the system with dominating phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Verrucomicrobia and Acidobacteria. Dominant bacteria at the genus level were Thiothrix, Planctomyces, Azonexus, Pseudoxanthomonas, Hydrogenophaga, Gemmobacter and other genera suggesting that N removal was accomplished via diverse metabolic pathways, including autotrophic nitrification, heterotrophic denitrification, autotrophic denitrification, and possibly anammox. This study shows benefits of step-feeding strategies in tidal flow constructed wetlands as a cost-effective solution for minimizing external carbon input to achieve effective N removal.

Sulaibiya Wastewater Treatment Plant (Kuwait) is considered as one of the largest wastewater treatment plants that use Reverse Osmosis (RO) membranes in their processes to reclaim water from municipal wastewaters for indirect potable water reuse. This result in considerable wastewater treatment brine which needs to be further investigated before discharge. Samples were collected on daily basis from the RO reject wastewater (brine wastewater) for one month and analyzed in situ and in the laboratory. The results obtained showed that the brine wastewater met the requirements of the Kuwait Environment Public Authority with the exception of biochemical oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, and total phosphate. In Kuwait, the brine wastewater is either used for deep-well injection or is discharged to the seawater. Based on the monitoring results, potential reuse options of wastewater brine include surface water discharge, sewer disposal, deep-well injection, and land application. Treatment options via evaporation ponds using membrane filters will further enhance the quality of the brine wastewater.

Onsite wastewater treatment systems and small scale packaged wastewater treatment plants have been used on a large scale in developing and developed countries where centralized sewerage facilities are not feasible. Generally, onsite systems continuously work under significant variations in both quantity and quality of the influent wastewater. Therefore, their suitability needs to be assessed before installation and operation to ensure their suitability and sustainability. This paper aims to define a set of context-specific criteria to assist in selecting the best onsite wastewater treatment system and to break down these criteria into measurable parameters. Furthermore, the developed multi-criteria assessment tool was validated using the results of the performance monitoring of a selected wastewater treatment system. This work is important since the selection of onsite systems, in many cases, is done based on declared performance by the supplier and the costs involved.

This study presents the results of an analysis of the most common Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in wastewater samples from one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in Kuwait. Samples from four different locations (plant influent, aeration tank inlet, aeration tank, and plant effluent) were collected weekly and were analyzed for toluene, benzene, xylene, 1, 3, 5 trimethylbenzene, dichloromethane and chloroform. The results showed that all the selected VOCs were detected except benzene. The average concentrations of VOCs that entered the treatment plant were as follows: chloroform 0.22 ± 0.03 μg/mL, dichloromethane 0.18 ± 0.05 μg/mL, toluene 0.08 ± 0.01 μg/mL, O-Xylene 0.03 μg/mL, M-Xylene 0.01 μg/mL, P-Xylene 0.02 μg/ml, and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene 0.02 μg/mL. The concentration of VOCs during the treatment processes decreased for all the selected VOCs (treatment efficiency >98%), except chloroform, which has increased. The disinfection process in the treatment plant might have generated byproducts (such as chloroform) which could have increased chloroform concentration. In conclusion, all of the analyzed VOCs in this study were lower than the maximum level of VOCs in treated wastewater.