Elucidating phosphorus removal dynamics in a denitrifying woodchip bioreactor.

Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors (DBRs) are an established nitrate mitigation technology, but uncertainty remains on their viability for phosphorus (P) removal due to inconsistent source-sink behaviour in field trials. We investigated whether iron (Fe) redox cycling could be the missing link needed to explain P dynamics in these systems. A pilot-scale DBR (Aotearoa New Zealand) was monitored for the first two drainage seasons (2017-2018), with supplemental in-field measurements of reduced solutes (Fe2+, HS-/H2S) and their conjugate oxidised species (Fe3+/SO42-) made in 2021 to constrain within-reactor redox gradients. Consistent with thermodynamics, the dissolution of Fe3+(s) to Fe2+(aq) within the DBR sequentially followed O2, NO3- and MnO2(s) reduction, but occurred before SO42- reduction. Monitoring of inlet and outlet chemistry revealed tight coupling between Fe and P (inlet R2 0.94, outlet R2 0.85), but distinct dynamics between drainage seasons. In season one, outlet P exceeded inlet P (net P source), and coincided with elevated outlet Fe2+, but at ⁓50 % lower P concentrations relative to inlet Fe:P ratios. In season 2 the reactor became a net P sink, coinciding with declining outlet Fe2+ concentrations (indicating exhaustion of Fe3+(s) hydroxides and associated P). In order to characterize P removal under varying source dynamics (i.e. inflows vs in-situ P releases), we used the inlet Fe vs P relationship to estimate P binding to colloidal Fe (hydr)oxide surfaces under oxic conditions, and the outlet Fe2+ concentration to estimate in-situ P releases associated with Fe (hydr)oxide reduction. Inferred P-removal rates were highest early in season 1 (k = 0.60 g P m3 d-1; 75-100 % removal), declining significantly thereafter (k = 0.01 ± 0.02 g P m3 d-1; ca. 3-67 % removal). These calculations suggest that microbiological P removal in DBRs can occur at comparable magnitudes to nitrate removal by denitrification, depending mainly on P availability and hydraulic retention efficiency.

Moving Denitrifying Bioreactors beyond Proof of Concept: Introduction to the Special Section.

Denitrifying bioreactors are organic carbon-filled excavations designed to enhance the natural process of denitrification for the simple, passive treatment of nitrate-nitrogen. Research on and installation of these bioreactors has accelerated within the past 10 years, particularly in watersheds concerned about high nonpoint-source nitrate loads and also for tertiary wastewater treatment. This special section, inspired by the meeting of the Managing Denitrification in Agronomic Systems Community at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, aims to firmly establish that denitrifying bioreactors for treatment of nitrate in drainage waters, groundwater, and some wastewaters have moved beyond the proof of concept. This collection of 14 papers expands the peer-reviewed literature of denitrifying bioreactors into new locations, applications, and environmental conditions. There is momentum behind the pairing of wood-based bioreactors with other media (biochar, corn cobs) and in novel designs (e.g., use within treatment trains or use of baffles) to broaden applicability into new kinds of waters and pollutants and to improve performance under challenging field conditions such as cool early season agricultural drainage. Concerns about negative bioreactor by-products (nitrous oxide and hydrogen sulfide emissions, start-up nutrient flushing) are ongoing, but this translates into a significant research opportunity to develop more advanced designs and to fine tune management strategies. Future research must think more broadly to address bioreactor impacts on holistic watershed health and greenhouse gas balances and to facilitate collaborations that allow investigation of mechanisms within the bioreactor "black box."

Fecal Bacteria, Bacteriophage, and Nutrient Reductions in a Full-Scale Denitrifying Woodchip Bioreactor.

Denitrifying bioreactors using woodchips or other slow-release carbon sources can be an effective method for removing nitrate (NO) from wastewater and tile drainage. However, the ability of these systems to remove fecal microbes from wastewater has been largely uninvestigated. In this study, reductions in fecal indicator bacteria () and viruses (F-specific RNA bacteriophage [FRNA phage]) were analyzed by monthly sampling along a longitudinal transect within a full-scale denitrifying woodchip bioreactor receiving secondary-treated septic tank effluent. Nitrogen, phosphorus, 5-d carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD), and total suspended solids (TSS) reduction were also assessed. The bioreactor demonstrated consistent and substantial reduction of (2.9 log reduction) and FRNA phage (3.9 log reduction) despite receiving highly fluctuating inflow concentrations [up to 3.5 × 10 MPN (100 mL) and 1.1 × 10 plaque-forming units (100 mL) , respectively]. Most of the removal of fecal microbial contaminants occurred within the first meter of the system (1.4 log reduction for ; 1.8 log reduction for FRNA phage). The system was also efficient at removing NO (>99.9% reduction) and TSS (89% reduction). There was no evidence of consistent removal of ammonium, organic nitrogen, or phosphorus. Leaching of CBOD occurred during initial operation but decreased and stabilized at lower values (14 g O m) after 9 mo. We present strong evidence for reliable microbial contaminant removal in denitrifying bioreactors, demonstrating their broader versatility for wastewater treatment. Research on the removal mechanisms of microbial contaminants in these systems, together with the assessment of longevity of removal, is warranted.

Foliar 15N natural abundance indicates phosphorus limitation of bog species.

Foliar delta15N, %N and %P in the dominant woody and herbaceous species across nutrient gradients in New Zealand restiad (family Restionaceae) raised bogs revealed marked differences in plant delta15N correlations with P. The two heath shrubs, Leptospermum scoparium (Myrtaceae) and Dracophyllum scoparium (Epacridaceae), showed considerable isotopic variation (-2.03 to -15.55 per thousand, and -0.39 to -12.06 per thousand, respectively) across the bogs, with foliar delta15N strongly and positively correlated with P concentrations in foliage and peat, and negatively correlated with foliar N:P ratios. For L. scoparium, the isotopic gradient was not linked to ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fractionation as ECMs occurred only on higher nutrient marginal peats where 15N depletion was least. In strong contrast, restiad species (Empodisma minus Sporadanthus ferrugineus, S. traversii) showed little isotopic variation across the same nutrient gradients. Empodisma minus and S. traversii had delta15N levels consistently around 0 per thousand (means of -0.12 per thousand and +0.15 per thousand respectively), and S. ferrugineus, which co-habited with E. minus, was more depleted (mean -4.97 per thousand). The isotopic differences between heath shrubs and restiads were similar in floristically dissimilar bogs and may be linked to contrasting nutrient demands, acquisition mechanisms, and root morphology. Leptospermum scoparium shrubs on low nutrient peats were stunted, with low tissue P concentrations, and high N:P ratios, suggesting they were P-limited, which was probably exacerbated by markedly reduced mycorrhizal colonizations. The coupling of delta(15)N depletion and %P in heath shrubs suggests that N fractionation is promoted by P limitation. In contrast, the constancy in delta15N of the restiad species through the N and P gradients suggests that these are not suffering from P limitation.