| The tanning industry is in need of the development of new, cleaner technologies to reduce its impact on the environment. Conventional treatment systems are currently a limited option due to their restrictive costs or inability to meet discharge regulations. Human health risks and impoverished water quality, together with new stringent regulatory standards are the main drivers for the search of treatment alternatives for tanning effluents. This MDP analyses tannery operations and resulting effluent composition, and highlights the contaminants that could be treated with constructed wetlands. The assessment is based on constructed wetlands' performance and design data obtained from existing systems treating effluents with composition similar to tanning wastewaters. In addition, pioneer constructed wetlands treating a variety of tanning effluents were documented and included in the assessment. The results from the research show that constructed wetlands are a viable treatment alternative to economically and effectively treat secondary and tertiary treated effluents from bovine leather chrome tanning. A design framework to determine the wetlands' applicability in particular tanning scenarios is developed and detailed in this document. Furthermore, a case study in Argentina is used to illustrate the use of the design framework in a specific scenario. Main recommendations developed from this research include piloting prior to implementing the wetlands in specific scenarios along with further research on the field performance of constructed wetlands for tannery wastewater treatment.;Keywords: constructed wetlands, tannery effluents, industrial wastewaters, potential assessment, design framework, chrome tanning, biotechnology, bovine leather, cleaner technologies. |
