Assessment of removal rate coefficient in vertical flow constructed wetland employing machine learning for low organic loaded systems

[Display omitted] •Areal removal rate coefficients (k20) of LOLVFCWs showed huge deviations up to 130%•Dataset classification could not reduce the variations satisfactorily.•Novel machine learning based approach adopted to suggest optimum area in LOLVFCWs.•SVR (R2 = 0.87–0.90) could better predict effluent parameters (EPs) than MLR.•Predicted EPs used to derive case specific k20 values for calculating optimum area. Secondary datasets of 42 low organic loading Vertical flow constructed wetlands (LOLVFCWs) were assessed to optimize their area requirements for N and P (nutrients) removal. Significant variations in removal rate coefficients (k20) (0.002–0.464 md−1) indicated scope for optimization. Data classification based on nitrogen loading rate, temperature and depth could reduce the relative standard deviations of the k20 values only in some cases. As an alternative method of deriving k20 values, the effluent concentrations of the targeted pollutants were predicted using two machine learning approaches, MLR and SVR. The latter was found to perform better (R2 = 0.87–0.9; RMSE = 0.08–3.64) as validated using primary data of a lab-scale VFCW. The generated model equations for predicting effluent parameters and computing corresponding k20 values can assist in a customized design for nutrient removal employing minimal surface area for such systems for attaining the desired standards.