Comparative study about the performance of three types of modified natural treatment systems for rice noodle wastewater.

In this study, three semi-pilot scale systems (vertical flow constructed wetland, multi-soil layering, and integrated hybrid systems) for treating real rice noodle wastewater were operated parallelly for the first time in a tropical climate at a loading rate of 50 L/(m2·d) for more than 7 months to determine the optimal conditions and to compare their treatment performance. The results demonstrated that these systems were appropriate for the removal of organics, suspended solids, and total coliform (Tcol). The highest reductions in chemical oxygen demand (CODCr, 73.2%), phosphorus (PO4-P, 54%), and Tcol (4.78 log MPN/100 mL inactivation) were obtained by the integrated hybrid system, while the highest removal efficiencies of ammonium (NH4-N, 60.64%) and suspended solids (80.49%) were achieved in the vertical-flow-constructed wetland and multi-soil layering systems respectively.