Wetland systems: a cheaper and efficient treatment option for food processing waste in Africa

The study investigates an alternative wastewater treatment system for the food and beverage industry in Africa. A subsurface flow wetland system was designed and compared with a combination of anaerobic and aerobic bioreactor installed for a brewery in Nigeria. The cost of the designed wetland system is 33% of the cost of installed bioreactor. The waste characteristics for the designed subsurface flow constructed wetland after treatment falls within the USEPA threshold while that of the installed Bioreactor, are above. In addition, the treatment efficiency of the designed subsurface flow constructed wetland for controlling parameters; BOD, TSS and Faecal Coliform are 96.83%, 88.42% and 96.29% respectively while that of the UASB reactor, are 62.94%, 15.36% and 63.81%. Hence, the designed subsurface flow constructed wetland is more efficient in the removal of BOD, TSS and Faecal Coliform and could be an excellent alternative for the food and beverage industry in Africa.