| Summary: | Background. The operation of partially saturated vertical constructed wetlands (HC-VPS) are novel systems that improve the elimination of nitrogen present in wastewater and have been used mainly in Europe. However, there are no known reports of its use in the treatment of wastewater with a high content of Nitrogen and organic matter such as pig wastewater. Objective. This paper reports the performance of HC-VPS at the mesocosm level for the treatment of porcine sewage sown in triplicate with Canna Hybrids and Germanic Iris. Methodology. Six experimental HC-VPS units, filled with red tezontle and with the water outlet control level 0.5 m high from the base upwards, were fed with 1: 1 diluted swine wastewater and intermittently fed with 4 liters of water every 4 hours. The elimination of COD, SST, N-NH4, NTK and total CF at the entry and exit of the systems was measured. Results. It was found that HC-VPS improve the removal of contaminants in COD (5%), SST (20%), N-NH4 (25%), NTK (32%) and total CF (20%) in relation to traditional vertical constructed wetland systems. No significant differences were found (p> 0.05) for the elimination of any type of parameters including COD between the two species used as vegetation. Implications. These results contribute to improve operation parameters and species selection that are used in partially saturated vertical constructed wetlands in tropical and intertropical zones. Conclusions. The two species used managed to develop and adapt the new water quality conditions to which they were exposed. The water derived from these systems can be used in agro-industrial processes or incorporated into the production cycle once treated in HC-VPS.
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