A sustainable solution for ethylbenzene removal: horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands treatment

In this paper, the performance of three types of CWs (two of them were planted with two different species of macrophytes – Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia - and the third was used as bench- unplanted) located in the South of Italy (Lecce, Apulia) were investigated. The objectives of this study are to compare the hydraulic behavior of the CWs with the trend of the model by varying the hydraulic conditions, to evaluate the effect of the clogging and then to assess the efficiency of the different species of macrophytes in removing Ethylbenzene. At the beginning of the experience and after 24 months, the results show a good correlation in the hydraulic behavior between the model and physical data by modifying input parameters as a consequence of the clogging. The Ethylbenzene removal from the planted fields is higher than the unplanted one. The potentiality application of the treatment in transient economies, offend exposed to hydrocarbon