Constructed Wetlands for Industrial Wastewater Treatment

2Constructed Wetlands Treating Water Contaminated with Organic Hydrocarbons

Martin Thullner¹, Alexandros I. Stefanakis^2,3,5 and Saeed Dehestani⁴

¹Department of Environmental Microbiology, UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany

²Bauer Resources GmbH, BAUER-Strasse 1, Schrobenhausen, Germany

³Department of Engineering, German University of Technology in Oman, Athaibah, Oman

⁴Environmental Health Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran

⁵Bauer Nimr LLC, Muscat, Oman

2.1 Introduction

Hydrocarbons are one of the most commonly found water contaminants in modern societies due to their extensive use and widespread occurrence. This group of contaminants contains simple organic compounds (comprising only carbon and hydrogen), but there is a large variety of compounds with different chemical and physical properties. They can be classified into three main categories; aromatics, aliphatic and alicyclic. Total petroleum hydrocarbons refer to compounds derived from petroleum sources and processing, such as diesel, petrol, kerosene and lubricating oils. Lighter hydrocarbon compounds (i.e., with less than 16 carbon atoms) generally include substances with higher solubility and volatility, e.g., benzene. Many of these substances are well (e.g., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) or even highly soluble (e.g., MTBE and alcohols). They can also be toxic and represent an environmental hazard [1].

Hydrocarbon contamination is a ...