Application of Constructed Wetland for Treating Industrial Effluent

Abstract

Rapid industrialization has changed the living standards of people of India after independence. Though, industrialization at one hand is enhancing the economy of the country where as on the other hand is responsible for increasing the pollution level of the environment. As the domestic and industrial waste are being discharged in to the natural courses from long time; the present scenario is that the holy rivers like Ganga and Yamuna are highly polluted and seeking for immediate help. Country like India thus needs an effective as well as economic treatment processes to deal with the pollution problem efficiently. Constructed wetland is a well known technology for treatment of domestic or municipal waste water from long back. This natural treatment process is known for its low construction, operation and maintenance cost. Industrial waste water is typical in nature and difficult to treat easily due to the presence of various toxic chemicals, high COD level, low BOD/COD ratio etc. Now-a-days constructed wetlands are gaining importance for treating different types of industrial waste water too, though the research in this field is limited. An effort has been made to analyze the applicability of constructed wetland for treating different types of industrial waste water mainly for Indian environmental conditions.