Soil Nematodes as an Indicator of the Efficiency of Hydrophytic Treatment Plants with Vertical Wastewater Flow

Magdalena Bagińska, Tomasz Warężak, Wacław Romaniuk, Dawid Kozacki, Zbigniew Skibko (), Andrzej Borusiewicz and Jarosław Dąbrowski
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Magdalena Bagińska: Institute of New Technologies in Environmental Engineering, 65-032 Zielona Góra, Poland
Tomasz Warężak: Institute of New Technologies in Environmental Engineering, 65-032 Zielona Góra, Poland
Wacław Romaniuk: Institute of Technology and Life Sciences–National Research Insitute, Hrabska 3, 05-090 Falenty, Poland
Dawid Kozacki: Department of Plant Protection, The National Institute of Horticultural Research, Konstytucji 3 Maja 1/3, 96-100 Skierniewice, Poland
Zbigniew Skibko: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, Wiejska 45D, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
Andrzej Borusiewicz: Department of Agronomy, Modern Technology and Informatics, International Academy of Applied Sciences in Lomza, 18-400 Lomza, Poland
Jarosław Dąbrowski: Institute of Technology and Life Sciences–National Research Insitute, Hrabska 3, 05-090 Falenty, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-22

Abstract: This paper presents the role of soil nematodes as bio-indicators of the functioning of soil-plant beds in hydrophytic vertical-flow constructed wetland (VFCW) wastewater treatment plants. This study aimed to determine the abundance and trophic composition of nematode populations in seven soil-plant beds, the third component of plant-based wastewater treatment plants designed as Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs), in line with blue–green infrastructure and the closed-loop economy. The technology of this type of treatment plant is also in line with the idea of sustainability due to the very low energy requirements of the wastewater treatment system. In addition, soil nematodes were analysed in the soil adjacent to the WWTPs to assess the differences in trophic structure between these environments. The average nematode abundance in the soil-plant beds ranged from 606,000 [N·m −2 ] to 1,982,000 [N·m −2 ], with bacterivorous nematodes being the most abundant trophic group (61–73% of the population). This study’s results confirmed that soil-plant beds are abundantly populated by bacteria participating in key organic matter decomposition processes and nitrogen and phosphorus compound transformations, contributing to adequate wastewater treatment. The dominance of bacterivorous nematodes indicates a practical support of physicochemical and biological processes that reduce pollutant concentrations and eliminate pathogenic bacteria flowing into the deposits with the wastewater.

Keywords: soil nematodes; hydrophytic treatment plants; soil-plant beds; nematode trophic groups; blue–green infrastructure; nature-based solutions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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