Assessment of The Efficiency of Two Constructed Wetlands for Greywater Treatment in an Arid/Semiarid Area

Abstract

Despite being considered water-abundant, Lebanon faces escalating challenges in the water sector that can be attributed to various reasons such as population growth, urbanization, and climate change. While billions of dollars invested in the last three decades have yielded minimal improvement, urgent solutions are needed. With a few wetlands being completed in different parts of Lebanon and showing promising results, this experiment focuses on two newly completed constructed wetlands in the Bekaa Valley, assessing their efficiency in treating greywater and evaluating the potential of effluent reuse in irrigation or other non-potable applications. Influent and effluent samples were analyzed for pH, Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), and Total Phosphorus (TP). Results showed an 87-92% TSS removal, 65-68% COD removal, 47-53% BOD removal, and a 59-76% Phosphorus removal. The results of this experiment were later compared against local and regional standards and case studies, which reveal mixed results that highlighted the importance of further research over an extended period of time.