Effects of constructed wetland design on ibuprofen removal - A mesocosm scale study.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of constructed wetland design (unsaturated, saturated and aerated saturated) and plant species (Juncus, Typha, Berula, Phragmites and Iris) on the mass removal and removal kinetics of the pharmaceutical ibuprofen. Planted systems had higher ibuprofen removal rates (29%-99%) than in the unplanted ones (15%-85%) in all designs. The use of forced aeration improved ibuprofen removal only in the unplanted mesocosms. In general, ibuprofen removal followed an area-based first-order removal kinetics model with removal rate coefficients (kA) varying between 3 and 35cm/d. The ibuprofen removal was mainly attributed to microbial degradation by the fixed bed biofilm, but plant uptake and degradation within plant tissues also occurred. The ibuprofen removal was positively correlated with the oxygen concentration in the water and the removal of nutrients, indicating that degradation may be due to co-metabolisation processes.

Simulation of batch-operated experimental wetland mesocosms in AQUASIM biofilm reactor compartment.

In this study, a mathematical biofilm reactor model based on the structure of the Constructed Wetland Model No.1 (CWM1) coupled to AQUASIM's biofilm reactor compartment has been used to reproduce the sequence of transformation and degradation of organic matter, nitrogen and sulphur observed in a set of constructed wetland mesocosms and to elucidate the development over time of microbial species as well as the biofilm thickness of a multispecies bacterial biofilm in a subsurface constructed wetland. Experimental data from 16 wetland mesocosms operated under greenhouse conditions, planted with three different plant species (Typha latifolia, Carex rostrata, Schoenoplectus acutus) and an unplanted control were used in the calibration of this mechanistic model. Within the mesocosms, a thin (predominantly anaerobic) biofilm was simulated with an initial thickness of 49 µm (average) and in which no concentration gradients developed. The biofilm density and area, and the distribution of the microbial species within the biofilm were evaluated to be the most sensitive biofilm properties; while the substrate diffusion limitations were not significantly sensitive to influence the bulk volume concentrations. The simulated biofilm density ranging between 105,000 and 153,000 gCOD/m(3) in the mesocosms was observed to vary with temperature, the presence as well as the species of macrophyte. The biofilm modeling was found to be a better tool than the suspended bacterial modeling approach to show the influence of the rhizosphere configuration on the performance of the constructed wetlands.

Influence of season and plant species on the abundance and diversity of sulfate reducing bacteria and ammonia oxidizing bacteria in constructed wetland microcosms.

Constructed wetlands offer an effective means for treatment of wastewater from a variety of sources. An understanding of the microbial ecology controlling nitrogen, carbon and sulfur cycles in constructed wetlands has been identified as the greatest gap for optimizing performance of these promising treatment systems. It is suspected that operational factors such as plant types and hydraulic operation influence the subsurface wetland environment, especially redox, and that the observed variation in effluent quality is due to shifts in the microbial populations and/or their activity. This study investigated the biofilm associated sulfate reducing bacteria and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (using the dsrB and amoA genes, respectively) by examining a variety of surfaces within a model wetland (gravel, thick roots, fine roots, effluent), and the changes in activity (gene abundance) of these functional groups as influenced by plant species and season. Molecular techniques were used including quantitative PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), both with and without propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment. PMA treatment is a method for excluding from further analysis those cells with compromised membranes. Rigorous statistical analysis showed an interaction between the abundance of these two functional groups with the type of plant and season (p < 0.05). The richness of the sulfate reducing bacterial community, as indicated by DGGE profiles, increased in planted vs. unplanted microcosms. For ammonia oxidizing bacteria, season had the greatest impact on gene abundance and diversity (higher in summer than in winter). Overall, the primary influence of plant presence is believed to be related to root oxygen loss and its effect on rhizosphere redox.

Seasonal influence on sulfate reduction and zinc sequestration in subsurface treatment wetlands.

To characterize the effects of season, temperature, plant species, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading on sulfate reduction and metals removal in treatment wetlands we measured pore water redox potentials and concentrations of sulfate, sulfide, zinc and COD in subsurface wetland microcosms. Two batch incubations of 20 day duration were conducted in each of four seasons defined by temperature and daylight duration. Four treatments were compared: unplanted controls, Typha latifolia (broadleaf cattail), and Schoenoplectus acutus (hardstem bulrush), all at low COD loading (267 mg/L), plus bulrush at high COD loading (534 mg/L). Initial SO4-S and zinc concentrations were 67 and 24 mg/L, respectively. For all treatments, sulfate removal was least in winter (4 degrees C, plant dormancy) greatest in summer (24 degrees C, active plant growth) and intermediate in spring and fall (14 degrees C), but seasonal variation was greater in cattail, and especially, bulrush treatments. Redox measurements indicated that, in winter, plant-mediated oxygen transfer inhibited activity of sulfate reducing bacteria, exacerbating the reduction in sulfate removal due to temperature. Doubling the COD load in bulrush treatments increased sulfate removal by only 20-30% when averaged over all seasons and did not alter the basic pattern of seasonal variation, despite tempering the wintertime increase in redox potential. Seasonal and treatment effects on zinc removal were broadly consistent with sulfate removal and presumably reflected zinc-sulfide precipitation. Results strongly suggest that interactive effects of COD loading rate, temperature, season, and plant species control not only sulfate reduction and zinc sequestration, but also the balance of competition between various microbial consortia responsible for water treatment in constructed wetlands.

Polar organic solvent removal in microcosm constructed wetlands.

Three polar organic solvents, acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF) and 1-butanol, were added at 100 mg/l each to post-primary municipal wastewater in order to simulate a mixed waste stream. This mixture was applied to an experimental microcosm subsurface constructed wetland system consisting of replicates of Juncus effusus, Carex lurida, Iris pseudacorus, Pondeteria cordata and unplanted controls in a series of 14-day batch incubations over a yearlong period simulating a summer and winter season. 90% removal of 1-butanol typically took less than 3 days. 90% removal of acetone required from 5 to 10 days in summer and 10 to 14 days in winter. 90% removal of THF required at least 10 days and was frequently not achieved during the 14-day incubations. Initial experiments confirmed that the majority of solvent removal was via microbial bioremediation. Solvent removal was typically better in planted replicates, especially Juncus, regardless of season. The removal rate of all solvents was slower in winter, but the seasonal effect was most pronounced in the unplanted control replicates and least in the Carex and Juncus replicates. Plant and seasonal effects are believed to be due, in part, to variation in metabolic pathways induced by plant and seasonal variation in available root-zone oxygen. Variation in transpiration also influenced species and seasonal effects on THF removal, but not the other more biodegradable solvents. A model based on a prediction of plant uptake of nonionic dissolved chemicals suggests that as much as 39% of the THF in solution could have been removed through plant transpiration.

Ammonium removal in constructed wetland microcosms as influenced by season and organic carbon load.

We evaluated ammonium nitrogen removal and nitrogen transformations in three-year-old, batch-operated, subsurface wetland microcosms. Treatments included replicates of Typha latifolia, Carex rostrata, and unplanted controls when influent carbon was excluded, and C. rostrata with an influent containing organic carbon. A series of 10-day batch incubations were conducted over a simulated yearlong cycle of seasons. The presence of plants significantly enhanced ammonium removal during both summer (24 degrees C, active plant growth) and winter (4 degrees C, plant dormancy) conditions, but significant differences between plant species were evident only in summer when C. rostrata outperformed T. latifolia. The effect of organic carbon load was distinctly seasonal, enhancing C. rostrata ammonium removal in winter but having an inhibitory effect in summer. Season did not influence ammonium removal in T. latifolia or unplanted columns. Net production of organic carbon was evident year-round in units without an influent organic carbon source, but was enhanced in summer, especially for C. rostrata, which produced significantly more than T. latifolia and unplanted controls. No differences in production were evident between species in winter. COD values for C. rostrata microcosms with and without influent organic carbon converged within 24 hours in winter and 7 days in summer. Gravel sorption, microbial immobilization and sequential nitrification/denitrification appear to be the major nitrogen removal mechanisms. All evidence suggests differences between season and species are due to differences in seasonal variation of root-zone oxidation.

Temperature, plants, and oxygen: how does season affect constructed wetland performance?

The influence of temperature and plant-mediated oxygen transfer continues to draw attention from researchers, practitioners and regulators interested in the use of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. Because the vast majority of research on constructed wetland performance has been conducted during periods of active plant growth, the true influence of temperature, season, and plant species selection on constructed wetlands performance has not yet been evaluated adequately. In this article, we briefly summarize changes in the understanding of these influences on wetland performance, and suggest that effects of temperature and oxygen transfer are not readily separable because both factors respond to seasonal cycles and because effects of one can offset the other. We further speculate that the net effect of seasonal variation in these factors is such that plant-mediated oxygen transfer affects water treatment most in winter. Results of controlled-environment experiments conducted at Montana State University support these perspectives. Different plant species' capacities to oxidize the root zone responded differently to seasonal cycles of growth and dormancy, and species' effects on wastewater treatment were most pronounced in winter.

Temperature and wetland plant species effects on wastewater treatment and root zone oxidation.

Constructed wetlands are widely used for wastewater treatment, but there is little information on processes affecting their performance in cold climates, effects of plants on seasonal performance, or plant selection for cold regions. We evaluated the effects of three plant species on seasonal removal of dissolved organic matter (OM) (measured by chemical oxygen demand and dissolved organic carbon) and root zone oxidation status (measured by redox potential [Eh] and sulfate [SO4(2-)]) in subsurface-flow wetland (SSW) microcosms. A series of 20-d incubations of simulated wastewater was conducted during a 28-mo greenhouse study at temperatures from 4 to 24 degrees C. Presence and species of plants strongly affected seasonal differences in OM removal and root zone oxidation. All plants enhanced OM removal compared with unplanted controls, but plant effects and differences among species were much greater at 4 degrees C, during dormancy, than at 24 degrees C, during the growing season. Low temperatures were associated with decreased OM removal in unplanted controls and broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia L.) microcosms and with increased removal in beaked sedge (Carex rostrata Stokes) and hardstem bulrush [Schoenoplectus acutus (Muhl. ex Bigelow) A. & D. Löve var. acutus] microcosms. Differences in OM removal corresponded to species' apparent abilities to increase root zone oxygen supply. Sedge and bulrush significantly raised Eh values and SO4(2-) concentrations, particularly at 4 degrees C. These results add to evidence that SSWs can be effective in cold climates and suggest that plant species selection may be especially important to optimizing SSW performance in cold climates.