Enhanced Nutrients Removal Using Reeds Straw as Carbon Source in a Laboratory Scale Constructed Wetland

Tong Wang, Haiyan Wang, Yang Chang, Zhaosheng Chu, Yaqian Zhao and Ranbin Liu
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Tong Wang: School of Civil Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710061, China
Haiyan Wang: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, No. 8 Da Yang Fang, Anwai, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012, China
Yang Chang: School of Civil Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710061, China
Zhaosheng Chu: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, No. 8 Da Yang Fang, Anwai, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012, China
Yaqian Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Eco-Hydraulic Engineering in Arid Area, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an 710048, China
Ranbin Liu: UCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research, School of Civil Engineering, Newstead Building, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-10

Abstract: The low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio and high nitrate content characteristics of agricultural runoff restricted the nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands (CWs). To resolve such problems, the economically- and easily-obtained Phragmites Australis (reeds) litters were applied and packed in the surface layer of a surface flow CW as external carbon sources. The results demonstrated that the introduction of the reeds straw increased the C concentration as a result of their decomposition during the CW operation, which will help the denitrification in the ensuing operation of an entire 148 days. The total nitrogen (TN) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) () in the effluent reached the peak level of 63.2 mg/L and 83 mg/L at the fourth and the second day, respectively. Subsequently, the pollutants in the CW that were filled with straw decreased rapidly and achieved a stable removal after 13 days of operation. Moreover, the present study showed that the N removal efficiency increased with the increase of the hydraulic retention time (HRT). Under the HRT of four days, the CW presented 74.1 ± 6%, 87.4 ± 6% and 56.0 ± 6% removal for TN, NO 3 - , and TP, respectively.

Keywords: C/N ratio; constructed wetland; denitrification; nutrient removal; reeds straw (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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