Constructed Wetlands for the treatment of wastewater of alimentary industries: wineries, cheese factories, etc

Wastewater produced by agro-alimentary activities are often characterized by a high content of organic matter, grease and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and sometimes by a high salinity, and by strong seasonal fluctuations in term of quantity and chemical-physical characteristics.

Because of this, its depuration treatment requests a particular attention and an accurate valutation of every technical solution available. As one of the most successful application it can be noted the winery industry: in Italy this sector consists in many hundreds of small producers, whose scarce production and relatively low annual budgets don't allow to choice advanced technological treatments for the depuration of wastewater, so creating big problems in respect of the most recent laws concerning industrial wastewater (law n. 152/99). The technique of phytodepuration, that is the artificial reproduction of natural wetlands with the amplification of their natural depurative processes, offers an effective solution with low costs of realization and management and low energy consumption. Constructed wetlands, moreover, are one of the most efficient and adequate treatment in case of high variations of quality and quantity of wastewater; they also work very well with high organic loads (see the use of CW for the treatment of leachate). IRIDRA has designed some plants between the first and more important of this kind in Italy , then conducting their realization and monitoring. Recently, IRIDRA has presented the good results obtained in the phytodepuration plants of winery industries “Casa Vinicola Luigi Cecchi & Figli” (Castellina in Chianti - Siena), "Tenuta dell'Ornellaia" (Bolgheri - Livorno) and "La Croce dei F.lli Zari” (Poggibonsi - Siena) at the International Conference on constructed wetlands of the International Water Association (Tanzania- September 2002), obtaining an optimum valuation from scientists and experts of the sector.