Extraction capacity of plants grown in constructed wetland systems used for treatment of dairy wastewater

The objective of this research was to evaluate the extraction capacity of two plant species when grown in constructed wetland systems (CWS) used for dairy wastewater (DW) treatment. The experimental units were formed by five CWS grown with Pennisetum purpureum schum grass and five CWS cultivated with grass tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.), with horizontal subsurface flow. The DW was applied at an average flow of 60 L d(-1) and hydraulic residence time of 4.8 days, and subjected to organic loading rates (ORL) of 66, 130, 190, 320 and 570 kg ha(-1) d(-1) of BOD. The grass tifton 85 extracted more nitrogen and sodium, while the elephant grass extracted a larger amount of potassium from the DW, when grown under the evaluated organic loading rates (ORL). The concentration of phosphorus in aerial parts of plants and extraction capacity were similar in the two grasses, however, there is evidence of an increase in the extraction this nutrient, by the grass tifton 85, with the increase of the ORL applied in the CWS.