Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhanced the drinking water treatment residue-based vertical flow constructed wetlands on the purification of arsenic-containing wastewater

Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid that poses a potential risk to the environment and human health. In this study, drinking water treatment residue (DWTR) and ceramsite-based vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) were built to purify As-containing wastewater. As a method of bioaugmentation, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was inoculated to Pteris vittata roots to enhance the As removal of the VFCWs. The results showed that the As removal rates reached 87.82-94.29% (DWTR) and 33.28-58.66% (ceramsite). DWTR and P. vittata contributed 64.33-72.07% and 7.57-29% to the removal of As, while AMF inoculation intensified the As accumulation effect of P. vittata. Proteobacteria, the main As3+ oxidizing bacteria in the aquatic systems, dominated the microbial community, occupying 72.41 ± 7.76%. AMF inoculation increased As-related functional genes abundance in DWTR-based wetlands and provided a reliable means of arsenic resistance in wetlands. These findings indicated that the DWTR-based VFCWs with AMF inoculated P. vittata had a great purification effect on As-containing wastewater, providing a theoretical basis for the application of DWTR and AMF for As removal in constructed wetlands.

Effect of organophosphate esters on microbial community and proteomics in constructed wetlands and its removal mechanism

Organophosphorus esters (OPEs) may cause potential risks to human health and ecological environment safety when they enter water. In this study, A lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) exposed to dichlorvos (DDVP) was carried out to reveal removal effect and mechanism of DDVP in VFCWs. The findings indicated CWs can remove DDVP with 94%-95% average removal efficiency in long-term operation. Besides, soluble phosphate (SRP) and total phosphorus (TP) were removed by VFCWs with 48.60%-64.10% average removal efficiency, and the addition of DDVP enhanced the effect of CWs on nitrogen removal. High-throughput sequencing demonstrated that Massiilia (2.67%-18.06%), Denitratisoma (2.07%-3.80%) and SM1A02 (2.85%-4.67%) played an important role in the removal process of DDVP in VFCWs. Proteomics of plant root showed that A0A3B6ARQ4 (increased 29.53 times) and LOC_Os11g38050.1 protein (decreased 0.001 times) responsed more sensitive to OPEs which suggested DDVP enhancesenhancing plants energy production and hydrolyase synthesis, thereby promoting it hydrolysis. Therefore, the use of VFCWs to treat organic phosphate wastewater has future prospects.

The positive effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation and/or additional aeration on the purification efficiency of combined heavy metals in vertical flow constructed wetlands

Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and additional aeration (AA), as two approaches to improve the functioning of treatment wetlands, can further promote the capacity of wetlands to purify pollutants. The extent to which, and mechanisms by which, AMF and AA purify wetlands polluted by combined heavy metals (HMs) are not well understood. In this study, the effects and mechanisms of AMF and/or AA on combined HMs removal in vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) with the Phragmites australis (reeds) were investigated at different HMs concentrations. The results showed that (1) AA improved the AMF colonization in VFCWs and AMF accumulated the combined HMs in their structures; (2) AMF inoculation and/or AA significantly promoted the reeds growth and antioxidant enzymes activities, thereby alleviating oxidative stress; (3) AMF inoculation and AA significantly enhanced the removal rates of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd under the stress of high combined HMs concentrations comparing to the control check (CK) treatment (autoclaved AMF inoculation and no aeration), which increased by 22.72%, 30.31%, 12.64%, and 50.22%, respectively; (4) AMF inoculation and/or AA significantly promoted the combined HMs accumulation in plant roots and substrates and altered the distribution of HMs at the subcellular level. We therefore conclude that AMF inoculation and/or AA in VFCWs improves the purification of combined HM-polluted water, and the VFCWs-reeds-AMF/AA associations exhibit great potential for application in remediation of combined HM-polluted wastewater.

Strategies for enhancing phosphorous removal in Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are among the fastest emerging treatment methods for wastewater treatment. Unlike their organics and nitrogen removal capacities, the potential of CWs as a sink for phosphorous is still debatable. In this study, the secondary data from several CWs treating domestic sewage were compiled and assessed. Curves were plotted between orthophosphate-phosphorous (PO₄^3--P) loading and the corresponding removal rates. Other factors affecting PO₄^3--P removal like depth of the CW, surface area, organic loading rate etc. Were also analyzed. Removal rates of PO₄^3--P were conforming to a linear positive relation with the loading rates. Pea gravel as a CW medium performed consistently well (60-80% removal) for a wide range of influent PO₄^3--P loading (0.5-1.5 g/m³-d). The increased depth of the wetland appears to favor phosphate removal. PO₄^3--P removal was found to be correlated with outlet dissolved oxygen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen removal and effluent nitrate. The study suggests that proper design, optimal organic loading and suitable pre-treatment may increase the applicability of CWs for phosphate removal from domestic wastewater. Larger area requirements can also be avoided by increasing their depth while keeping the volume of the filter media the same.

Removal of selected pollutants from landfill leachate in constructed wetlands with different filling

Constructed wetlands (CW) with vertical flow were used to treat leachate from municipal landfills (active and closed, at different concentrations) using a combination of substrates, i.e., gravel, sand and an exchangeable layer, depending on a variant: organic substrate (pine bark) or mineral substrate (zeolite, expanded clay). The systems were planted with Phragmites australis. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of removal of selected pollutants from landfill leachate in CW using different types of filling. For most parameters, the best reductions were obtained on zeolite substrates. In the investigated CW, reductions were achieved at the levels of: AN 96%-99%; TKN 75%-88.5%; TN 62.5%-70%, TP 84-88% and heavy metals (Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr) 41%-56%.

Behaviour of 27 selected emerging contaminants in vertical flow constructed wetlands as post-treatment for municipal wastewater

Six substrates (i.e. sand enriched with activated or non-activated biochar or zeolite in different ratios) were tested in Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands (VFCWs) planted with Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus for the removal of 27 emerging contaminants from municipal wastewater. The laboratory investigation under controlled conditions (spiked constant concentrations in synthetic wastewater) lasted 357 days and proved VFCWs being able to provide excellent effluent quality in terms of both macro - and micropollutant elimination. Because overall removal efficiencies exceeded 90% in most of the cases, significant differences among the substrates were not detectable. For compounds with medium elimination (i.e. AMPA) the type of substrate seemed to play a strong role and the maximum amount of active ingredient adsorbed per amount of substrate has been quantified (i.e. 0.77 μg of AMPA per g of 30% biochar mixed with sand). Three of the most promising substrates from laboratory where thus selected to be tested under real conditions (fluctuation in concentration, variable temperature). As result, VFCWs with 15% activated biochar mixed with sand proved to be effective in the removal of 18 emerging contaminants and complying with national discharge standards for 4 selected compounds.

Improving the performance of vertical flow constructed wetlands by modifying the filtering media structure

The aim of this research was to study the influence of the bed media configuration and particle size on the treatment efficiency of subsurface vertical flow (VF) constructed wetlands (CWs) treating municipal wastewater. Two outdoor pilot units (VF1 and VF2, planted with Phragmites australis) with the configuration C1 were operated in parallel for 2 years at similar surface loading rates of 9.7 ± 3.2 (VF1) and 10.1 ± 3.3 (VF2) g biological oxygen demand (BOD₅)/m²·day (19.5 ± 6.4 (VF1) and 20.4 ± 6.2 (VF2) g chemical oxygen demand (COD)/m²·day). A different configuration C2 was used during the third year at 16.9 ± 4.6 (VF1) and 18.2 ± 3.0 (VF2) g BOD₅/m²·day and 26.0 ± 7.2 (VF1) and 28.0 ± 4.7 (VF2) g COD/m²·day. Two different filtering materials (1-3-mm sand for VF1 and 2-6-mm fine gravel for VF2) were used for configuration C1. The same units were modified after 2 years of operation by adding a 10-cm layer of fine sand (0-2 mm) on the top (configuration C2). In C1 conditions, the unit with the coarse material VF2 showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower removal efficiencies of total suspended solids (TSS) and BOD₅ than VF1, and both units failed to meet the BOD₅ discharge limit. In C2 conditions, removal efficiencies reached 82% TSS, 97% BOD₅, 76-81% ammonia, and 60-66% TN, without significant differences between VF1 and VF2 units. Removal efficiencies were significantly higher for configuration C2 than that for C1, due to the positive effect of the upper fine sand layer. The presence of this fine sand layer doubled the water retention time and increased the removal rates, while the infiltration rates were high enough for an operation free of clogging.

Effect of substrate types on contaminant removals, electrochemical characteristics and microbial community in vertical flow constructed wetlands for treatment of urban sewage

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of substrates (quartz sand and coke) on the removal of pollutants (COD, NH₄⁺-N and TP), electrochemical characteristics and microbial communities of vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCW) under high pollutant loads. During operation, the removal rates of COD, NH₄⁺-N and TP by VFCW-C (coke as substrate) were higher than that of VFCW-Q (quartz sand as substrate) by 9.73-19.41%, 5.03%-13.15% and 8.83%-14.58%, respectively. And the resistances of the VFCW-Q and VFCW-C were increased by 1228.9 Ω and 38.3 Ω, while their potentials were dropped from 182.4 mV to 377.9 mV-85.6 mV and 222.0 mV, respectively. The dominant bacteria at the bottoms of VFCW-Q and VFCW-C were individually aerobic denitrifying bacteria (ADNB; 14.98%)/ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB; 5.73%) and organics aerobic degrading bacteria (OADB; 12.48%)/ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB; 7.24%), while the predominant bacteria at their tops were separately ADNB (11.36%)/OADB (10.52%)/AOB (4.69%) and ADNB (15.09%)/AOB (8.86%) and OADB (3.20%) The removal of pollutants by VFCW-Q and VFCW-C may be mainly attributed to substrate adsorption and microbial degradation.

Effects of salinity on the treatment of synthetic petroleum-industry wastewater in pilot vertical flow constructed wetlands under simulated hot arid climatic conditions

Petroleum-industry wastewater (PI-WW) is a potential source of water that can be reused in areas suffering from water stress. This water contains various fractions that need to be removed before reuse, such as light hydrocarbons, heavy metals and conditioning chemicals. Constructed wetlands (CWs) can remove these fractions, but the range of PI-WW salinities that can be treated in CWs and the influence of an increasing salinity on the CW removal efficiency for abovementioned fractions is unknown. Therefore, the impact of an increasing salinity on the removal of conditioning chemicals benzotriazole, aromatic hydrocarbon benzoic acid, and heavy metal zinc in lab-scale unplanted and Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia planted vertical-flow CWs was tested in the present study. P. australis was less sensitive than T. latifolia to increasing salinities and survived with a NaCl concentration of 12 g/L. The decay of T. latifolia was accompanied by a decrease in the removal efficiency for benzotriazole and benzoic acid, indicating that living vegetation enhanced the removal of these chemicals. Increased salinities resulted in the leaching of zinc from the planted CWs, probably as a result of active plant defence mechanisms against salt shocks that solubilized zinc. Plant growth also resulted in substantial evapotranspiration, leading to an increased salinity of the CW treated effluent. A too high salinity limits the reuse of the CW treated water. Therefore, CW treatment should be followed by desalination technologies to obtain salinities suitable for reuse. In this technology train, CWs enhance the efficiency of physicochemical desalination technologies by removing organics that induce membrane fouling. Hence, P. australis planted CWs are a suitable option for the treatment of water with a salinity below 12 g/L before further treatment or direct reuse in water scarce areas worldwide, where CWs may also boost the local biodiversity. Graphical abstract.

The improvement of pollutant removal efficiency in saturated vertical flow constructed wetlands by tubifex tubifex

Pilot-scale saturated vertical flow constructed wetlands (VF-CWs) were established to identify whether T. tubifex has the similar performance in saturated VF-CWs to that in surface flow CWs in improving pollutant removal efficiency (RE). The saturated VF-CWs with T. tubifex achieved REs of 67.3% total nitrogen (TN) and 39.8% chemical oxygen demand (COD), which were significantly higher than treatments without T. tubifex (42.2% TN and 31.4% COD). There existed significant interactions between macrophytes and T. tubifex. T. tubifex greatly improved the dissolved oxygen by increasing the connectivity between layers, and enhanced dehydrogenase activity and fluorescein diacetate. Adding T. tubifex improved the bacterial diversity and relative abundance of both N-cycle bacteria and fermentation bacteria in the biofilms. The improvements of ammonia oxidation and anammox were the main pathways for the increased nitrogen removal by T. tubifex. Therefore, T. tubifex is a useful tool for improving pollutant REs in saturated VF-CWs.

Disinfection for decentralized wastewater reuse in rural areas through wetlands and solar driven onsite chlorination

Increasing water scarcity is of growing concern in Europe, especially in Mediterranean countries along coastlines. Wastewater reuse reduces water stress, but often requires the absence of pathogen indicators and the application of chlorine to assure residual disinfection. However, the effluent qualities of typical Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) show immense chlorine demands. This makes the supply, handling and dosing of typical WWTP effluent challenging, especially in rural regions. In the work presented here, a vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) was combined with a small-scale solar-driven Onsite Chlorine Generation system (OCG) to further improve effluent qualities for different WWTPs and to produce chlorine stock solution directly at the site. To test different operational conditions the VFCW received WWTP effluent from a) an Activated Sludge and b) a High-Rate Algae Pond system. The VFCW reduced TSS by 92%, COD by 80%, and NH₄ by over 99% and the chlorine demand by 85%. The log-unit reduction of the VFCW/OCG system reached ≥5.1 for total coliforms and ≥4.6 for E. Coli. During VFCW passage the already high electrical conductivity further increased to beyond permissible reuse limits due to high evapotranspiration (ET) rates of the planted vegetation Arundo donax. Unique aspects of this setup were that neither chemicals nor external electricity were required to run the system. The elevated chloride concentration of the treated WW (819 ± 132 mg/L) proved sufficient for the production of chlorine stock solution. However, the solar-driven OCG system tested here consumed considerably more electricity compared to other OCGs available on the market. Nevertheless, the system presented here may be considered an efficient disinfection alternative for decentralized WW reuse applications at remote sites with both limited access to grid electricity and strict requirements for pathogen indicators.

Influence of sludge layer properties on the hydraulic behaviour of gravel-based vertical flow constructed wetlands for primary treatment of sewage

Sludge accumulation on the first stage of French design vertical flow constructed wetlands has been reported to improve treatment performance by favouring even sewage distribution on the beds' surface and increasing water retention time. However, due to its relatively low permeability, sludge layer can restrict the hydraulic capacity of the wetlands, requiring careful consideration of the feeding and resting strategy in order to avoid system ponding. This study aimed to elucidate the impact that sludge layer properties have on its permeability and investigate artificial modifications that could enhance it. A positive impact of increased organic matter content on sludge permeability was observed, with a 3-times permeability increase for a 15 percentage points higher volatile solids content. The opposite effect was observed for total solids, where an increase of 19 percentage points led to a drop of 1.6 × 10^-16 m² on permeability. The impact of different surface modifications on drying kinetics and sludge layer properties was studied as a means to accelerate sludge layer mineralisation. Artificial modifications that modify surface tension of the sludge layer have been proved to achieve greater permeability and faster mineralisation of the sludge, with potential to achieve higher hydraulic acceptance and reduced operational costs (lower sludge accumulation) if implemented in full scale vertical flow constructed wetlands.

The release mechanism of heavy metals from lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands treating road runoff

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been applied to remediate heavy metal pollution effectively in practice. However, the heavy metal release from CWs has not been paid enough attention. In this study, a 5-month experiment was carried out with three parallel lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) with zeolites as fillers. The artificial rainwater was pumped into VFCWs to study the release characteristic and mechanisms of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cr, and Pb). The results showed that significant amounts of Zn and Cu were released from the VFCWs at the end of the experiment while Pb and Cr rarely escaped. The upper layer (0-30 cm) of the VFCWs was the most effective area for heavy metal removal due to the presence of sediments, but it was also the most active area for heavy metal release. To explain this result, the sediments were analyzed before and after being leached by the tap water. The results indicated that Zn and Cu existed mainly in the exchangeable state, and they had strong leachability and bioavailability, causing its releases. Also, competitive adsorption of different metals meant that the metal ions with strong adsorption to zeolite caused the metal ions with weak adsorption to be desorbed from zeolites, and thus, a large amount of Zn escaped from VFCWs. The escape of heavy metals from CWs illustrated that it should be paid more attention in the management.

A comparative analysis for the development and recovery processes of different types of clogging in lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands

Clogging is a major operational and maintenance issue associated with the use of constructed wetlands. In this study, four lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCW) were used to fully understand the development mechanisms of various types of clogging and their recovery characteristics. The VFCWs were fed with glucose solution, starch suspension with and without bacteriostat, glucose, and starch mixed solution, respectively, to simulate Bio-clogging, organic particle clogging (Op-clogging), inert particle clogging (Ip-clogging), and the combination of Bio-clogging and Op-clogging (C-clogging). Resting operations with water decline were applied to relieve the clogging in the VFCWs. The results indicate that Op-clogging occurred first, followed by C-clogging and Bio-clogging. Ip-clogging took the longest time to develop and did not occur by the end of this study. The microscope analysis found that the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) bonded the starch particles together to form a dense membrane-like structure and promoted the clogging process. In addition, surface clogging was observed in all four experimental beds. Op-clogging occurred much closer to the surface than those caused by soluble organic matter and inert particles. Furthermore, the growth of biofilm caused significant decline in hydraulic conductivity, whereas its influence on porosity was relatively slight. Moreover, applying resting operation with water decline was effective for recovery from Bio-clogging, Op-clogging, and C-clogging in VFCWs except for Ip-clogging. The results also implied the recovery rates through applying resting operation with water decline were much higher than that with constant water level.

Impacts of silver nanoparticles on the nutrient removal and functional bacterial community in vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands

The widespread utilization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in industrial and commercial products inevitably raises the release into wastewater. In this study, the influences of AgNPs (0, 50 and 200μg/L) on the performance and microbial community of CWs were evaluated. Compared with the control system (without AgNPs), the COD removal was not affected, whereas the TN, NH₄⁺-N, and TP removals were evidently affected in presence of AgNPs, and the effects had a positive relation with AgNPs concentration. In addition, AgNPs were effectively removed from wastewater and mainly accumulated in the soil layer and plant tissues. The illumina high-throughput sequencing results indicated that there were obvious variations in the microbial community at different AgNPs concentrations, associated with the variations of CW performance. Sequencing analyses also showed that Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla. These results may provide valuable information and reference for evaluating the effect of AgNPs on constructed wetlands.

Removal of heavy metals from synthetic landfill leachate in lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands

Synthetic landfill leachate was treated using lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (CWs) in sequencing batch modes to assess heavy metal removal efficiencies. The CWs filled with loamy soil and pumice stone were unplanted or planted with common reed (Phragmites australis) (Reed-CW) or common rush (Juncus effusus) (Rush-CW). Synthetic leachate contained acetate, propionate, humate, ammonium, and heavy metals. Common reed grew almost vigorously but common rush partly withered during the 8-month experiment. The CWs reduced the leachate volume effectively by evapotranspiration and removed easily degradable organic matter, color, and ammonium. Furthermore, the CWs demonstrated high removal amounts for heavy metals such as Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd, Fe, and Pb, but not Mn from leachate. The metal removal amounts in the CWs were low for high-strength leachate (influent concentration increased from one time to three times) or under short retention time (batch cycle shortened from 3days to 1day). The Rush-CW showed slightly lower removal amounts for Cr, Ni, Mn, and Cd, although the Reed-CW showed lower Mn removal amounts than the unplanted CW did. However, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Zn were highly accumulated in the upper soil layer in the planted CW by rhizofiltration with adsorption compared with unplanted CW, indicating that the emergent plants would be helpful for decreasing the dredging soil depth for the final removal of heavy metals. Although the emergent plants were minor sinks in comparison with soil, common rush had higher bioconcentration factors and translocation factors for heavy metals than common reed had.

Structure and function of the bacterial communities during rhizoremediation of hexachlorobenzene in constructed wetlands

Vertical flow constructed wetlands (VF CWs) are considered to be effective for treating organic pollutants. The rhizosphere of macrophytes such as Phragmites sp., Typha sp. serves as an active and dynamic zone for the microbial degradation of organic pollutants. However, it is still not clear how soil bacterial communities respond to macrophytes and pollutants during the process. For this purpose, the seedlings of Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia were planted respectively in the VF CWs added with HCB at a dose of 2 mg/kg. During 96 days of cultivation, we monitored hexachlorobenzene (HCB) removal efficiency by GC/MS and the structure of the rhizosphere bacterial communities in the different VF CWs by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and constructed bacterial clone library based on PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene. As expected, the rhizosphere bacterial communities also remained insensitive to HCB exposure in the wetland soil. The diversity of these microbes presented two stages, from the varied up and down to equilibrium in the entire experimental period. Molecular analysis revealed that the phylum Firmicutes dominated over the bacterial communities. The genera that increased under HCB stress included the well-known HCB-degrading bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. and Alcaligenes sp.) and other common bacteria found in contaminated soil but with lesser known practical functions (Burkholderia sp., Lysinibacillus fusiformis, and Bacillus cereus). Furthermore, there was a certain variance in the relative abundances of the bacterial phyla and HCB removal efficiency among different VF CW treatments. The degradation of HCB in T. angustifolia microcosms was faster than that in P. australis and unvegetated wetlands, and the highest bacterial diversity and richness was found in the VF CWs comprising T. angustifolia.

Enhanced long-term organics and nitrogen removal and associated microbial community in intermittently aerated subsurface flow constructed wetlands

The long-term enhanced removal efficiency of organics and nitrogen in subsurface flow constructed wetlands (SSF CWs) with and without intermittent aeration for decentralized domestic wastewater was evaluated, and the function of intermittent aeration on microbial community was also investigated in this study. The high and long-term 95.6% COD, 96.1% NH4(+)-N and 85.8% TN removal efficiencies were achieved in experimental intermittently aerated SSF CW compared with non-aerated SSF CW. Aerated SSF CWs also exhibited the excellent removal performance when comparatively comparing with other strategies and techniques applied in CWs. In addition, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis revealed that associated microbial abundance significantly increased owing to intermittent aeration. These results indicated intermittent aeration CWs might be an effective and sustainable strategy for wastewater treatment in rural areas, but require further full-scale investigation in future.

Decentralized domestic wastewater treatment using intermittently aerated vertical flow constructed wetlands: impact of influent strengths

In this study, the removal performances of organic pollutants and nitrogen in vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) with and without intermittent aeration fed with different strengths of influent were evaluated as a possible treatment for decentralized domestic wastewater in northern China. The intermittent aeration strategy not only significantly increased removal efficiencies of organic pollutants and ammonium nitrogen (NH4(+)-N), but also successfully created alternate aerobic and anaerobic conditions resulting in high total nitrogen (TN) removal. Moreover, increasing influent strength did not affect the removal efficiencies of organic matters and nitrogen in aerated VFCWs. Compared with non-aerated VFCWs, much higher removal of organic pollutants (96%), NH4(+)-N (98%), and TN (85%) was obtained simultaneously in intermittent aeration VFCWs, especially at high influent strengths. The results suggest that the intermittent aeration could be an appropriate strategy for achieving the high removal performance in VFCWs, especially for in-situ treatment of high strength decentralized domestic wastewaters.

Nitrogen removal in intermittently aerated vertical flow constructed wetlands: impact of influent COD/N ratios

The performance response of eight vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) to different influent COD/N ratios and intermittent aeration in domestic wastewater treatment was investigated. Almost complete nitrification was obtained by intermittent aeration, which well developed alternate anaerobic and aerobic conditions for nitrification and denitrification. Sufficient carbon source supply resulted from influent COD/N ratio of 10 simultaneously obtained high removals of COD (96%), ammonia nitrogen (99%) and total nitrogen (90%) in intermittently aerated VFCWs. In all non-aerated VFCWs, poor nitrification was observed due to oxygen deficiency whilst high COD/N ratios further led to lower COD and nitrogen removal efficiency. The results suggest that intermittent aeration combined with high influent COD/N ratios could achieve high nitrogen removal in VFCWs.