Application of hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach to analyze wastewater microalgae culture systems for bioenergy production.

Bioenergy generation from microalgae can significantly contribute to climate mitigation and renewable energy production. In this regard, several multi-criteria decision-making method were employed to prioritize appropriate microalgae culture system for bioenergy production. Entropy weight, Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) were the employed MCDA method. Fourteen microalgae culture systems were selected as a case study, which contain teen monoculture and four dual-culture. Initially, through ans in-depth review of the literature and expert views, four categories total eight indicators were selected as the evaluation indices of the study, namely 1) Proliferation: Half growth cycle and Max growth rate,2) Biomass output: Bio-crude yield and Lipid yield, 3) Nutrient utilization: residual concentration of total Nitrogen and total Phosphorus, and, 4) Stability: coefficient of variation of Bio-crude yield and Lipid yield. The result indicated that "Pediastrum sp. & Micractinium sp." was identified as the most bioenergy potential microalgae culture system, and the evaluation results of entropy weight method and CRITIC method are similar. It is pertinent to note that 1)the entropy weight method exhibits lower sample size requirements, 2) the critic method excels when dealing with larger sample sizes, and 3) the TOPSIS method necessitates the incorporation of appropriate weighting methods to ensure credible results. In the application stage, the key indicators related to cost can be further included in the evaluation indices.

Effect of different bulking agents on fed-batch composting and microbial community profile.

The current study focused on analyzing the effect of different types of bulking agents and other factors on fed-batch composting and the structure of microbial communities. The results indicated that the introduction of bulking agents to fed-batch composting significantly improved composting efficiency as well as compost product quality. In particular, using green waste as a bulking agent, the compost products would achieve good performance in the following indicators: moisture (3.16%), weight loss rate (85.26%), and C/N ratio (13.98). The significant difference in moisture of compost products (p < 0.05) was observed in different sizes of bulking agent (green waste), which was because the voids in green waste significantly affected the capacity of the water to permeate. Meanwhile, controlling the size of green waste at 3-6 mm, the following indicators would show great performance from the compost products: moisture (3.12%), organic matter content (63.93%), and electrical conductivity (EC) (5.37 mS/cm). According to 16S rRNA sequencing, the relative abundance (RA) of thermophilic microbes increased as reactor temperature rose in fed-batch composting, among which Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Basidiomycota, and Rasamsonia were involved in cellulose and lignocellulose degradation.

Time-varying characteristics of saturated hydraulic conductivity in grassed swales based on the ensemble Kalman filter algorithm -A case study of two long-running swales in Netherlands.

Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) of the filler layer in grassed swales are varying in the changing environment. In most of the hydrological models, Ks is assumed as constant or decrease with a clogging factor. However, the Ks measured on site cannot be the input of the hydrological model directly. Therefore, in this study, an Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) based approach was carried out to estimate the Ks of the whole systems in two monitored grassed swales at Enschede and Utrecht, the Netherlands. The relationship between Ks and possible influencing factors (antecedent dry period, temperature, rainfall, rainfall duration, total rainfall and seasonal factors) were studied and a Multivariate nonlinear function was established to optimize the hydrological model. The results revealed that the EnKF method was satisfying in the Ks estimation, which showed a notable decrease after long-term operation, but revealed a recovery in summer and winter. After the addition of Multivariate nonlinear function of the Ks into hydrological model, 63.8% of the predicted results were optimized among the validation events, and compared with constant Ks. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the effect of each influencing factors on the Ks varies depending on the type of grassed swale. However, these findings require further investigation and data support.

Formation and toxicity alteration of halonitromethanes from Chlorella vulgaris during UV/chloramination process involving bromide ion.

Frequent algal blooms cause algal cells and their algal organic matter (AOM) to become critical precursors of disinfection by-products (DBPs) during water treatment. The presence of bromide ion (Br-) in water has been demonstrated to affect the formation laws and species distribution of DBPs. However, few researchers have addressed the formation and toxicity alteration of halonitromethanes (HNMs) from algae during disinfection in the presence of Br-. Therefore, in this work, Chlorella vulgaris was selected as a representative algal precursor to investigate the formation and toxicity alteration of HNMs during UV/chloramination involving Br-. The results showed that the formation concentration of HNMs increased and then decreased during UV/chloramination. The intracellular organic matter of Chlorella vulgaris was more susceptible to form HNMs than the extracellular organic matter. When the Br-: Cl2 mass ratio was raised from 0.004 to 0.08, the peak of HNMs total concentration increased 33.99%, and the cytotoxicity index and genotoxicity index of HNMs increased 67.94% and 22.80%. Besides, the formation concentration and toxicity of HNMs increased with increasing Chlorella vulgaris concentration but decreased with increasing solution pH. Possible formation pathways of HNMs from Chlorella vulgaris during UV/chloramination involving Br- were proposed based on the alteration of nitrogen species and fluorescence spectrum analysis. Furthermore, the formation laws of HNMs from Chlorella vulgaris in real water samples were similar to those in deionized water samples. This study contributes to a better comprehension of HNMs formation from Chlorella vulgaris and provides valuable information for water managers to reduce hazards associated with the formation of HNMs.

Bromide induced the formation of brominated halonitromethanes from aspartic acid in the UV/chlorine disinfection process.

Brominated halonitromethanes (Br-HNMs) are generated in water disinfection processes and present high toxicity to human health. This work used aspartic acid (ASP) as the precursor to reveal that bromide (Br-) induced the production of Br-HNMs in the UV/chlorine disinfection process. Consequently, six Br-HNMs were identified, and their yields presented an increasing and then declining evolution over the reaction time from 0 to 15 min. Also, the total Br-HNMs yield reached the maximum of 251.1 µg L-1 at 5 min and then declined to 107.1 µg L-1. The total Br-HNMs yield increased from 2.40 to 251.14 µg L-1 with the increase of Cl2:Br- ratios from 0.25 to 3.0 by increasing free chlorine dosage with a fixed Br- concentration, and it increased from 207.59 to 251.14 µg L-1 and then decreased to 93.44 µg L-1 with the increase of Cl2:Br- ratio from 1.0 to 3.6 by increasing Br- concentration with a fixed free chlorine dosage. Besides, the total Br-HNMs yield reached the highest value (251.14 µg L-1) at pH 7.0 and the lowest value (74.20 µg L-1) at pH 8.0. Subsequently, the possible reaction mechanism of Br-HNMs generated from ASP was deduced, and the changes in toxicity of Br-HNMs also followed an increasing and then declining trend, closely relating to Br-HNMs yields and Br- utilization. This work explored and illustrated the yields, influence factors, reaction mechanisms, and toxicity of Br-HNMs formed from Br- containing ASP water during UV/chlorine disinfection, which might help to control Br-HNMs formation.

Potable and irrigation suitability of different water supply systems in riverine communities at river Cauvery distributaries, India.

Current study focused on investigating the pollution loads of open well, bore well and drinking water from riverine community sites. In addition, drinking and irrigation suitability assessment were also performed by using user specific water quality indices (USWQI) and parameters quality index (PQI). Principal component analysis (PCA) was also performed with physio-chemical parameters. Notable variation was found in most of the water quality parameters at major hamlet and some places exceeded the standards prescribed by authorized organizations. The USWQI was 97.53 to 38.15 in open wells, 96.06 to 68.23 in bore wells, and 88.64 to 74.16 in tap water (drinking water). Among the settlement, highest water quality was recorded at Vilangudi, while the lowest quality found in Karaipakkam area. The predominant drinking water samples were estimated as good quality for human health and hygiene whereas none of the sample was found to be excellent. Open and bore well water samples were of good quality and suitable for agriculture purposes except the few samples which were estimated as poor and fair quality.

Component design optimization of green roof substrate layer based on the assessment of multifunctional performance.

A high-quality substrate layer is the cornerstone of supporting that green roofs (GRs) can become an efficient and sustainable nature-based solution to urban environmental problems. In the present study, three lightweight substrate materials commonly used in GRs of peat soil, vermiculite and pumice with four appropriate proportions of the nutrient substrate and the mineral substrates were selected to install twelve substrate modules. The lightweight property, water-holding, nutrient retention and rainwater reduction performance of the substrate modules were investigated by the laboratory determination methods and the simulated rainfall experiment. An assessment model based on the multifunctional performance established by analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used for the component design optimization of GR substrate layer. The results showed that the substrate modules based on peat soil and vermiculite (PV) as the mineral substrate, which the dry volumetric weights and the average water content were 1.40-1.70 kN m-3 and 47.80%-49.06%, always exhibited better lightweight properties and water-holding performance compared to those composed of pumice. PV-40 had the highest value of the multifunction index even while none of its functional performance was optimal among all the substrate modules. The present study emphasizes the necessity of optimizing the GR substrate layer component based on the assessment of multifunctional performance to better promote the sustainable development of GRs in urban areas.

Formation, toxicity, and mechanisms of halonitromethanes from poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) during UV/monochloramine disinfection in the absence and presence of bromide ion.

Bromide ion (Br-) is known as a prevalent component in water environments, which exhibits significant impacts on halonitromethanes (HNMs) formation. This study was performed to explore and compare the formation, toxicity, and mechanisms of HNMs from poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDACl) in the absence and presence of Br- in the UV/monochloramine (UV/NH2Cl) disinfection process. The results showed that chlorinated HNMs were found in the absence of Br-, while brominated (chlorinated) HNMs and brominated HNMs were found in the presence of Br-. Furthermore, the peaks of total HNMs were promoted by 2.0 and 2.4 times, respectively when 1.0 and 2.0 mg L-1 Br- were added. Also, the peaks of total HNMs were enhanced with the increase of the NH2Cl dosage, which were reduced with the increase of pH. It should be noted that Br- induced higher toxicity of HNMs, and the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of HNMs with the addition of 2.0 mg L-1 Br- were 78.0 and 3.7 times those without the addition of Br-, respectively. Meanwhile, both the reaction mechanisms of HNMs produced from PDDACl were speculated in the absence and presence of Br-. Finally, different HNMs species and yields were discovered in these two real water samples compared to those in simulated waters. These findings of this work will be conducive to understanding the significance of Br- affecting HNMs formation and toxicity in the disinfection process.

Formation of halonitromethanes from glycine during LED-UV265/chlorine disinfection.

LED-UV265/chlorine is a promising alternative disinfection technology that emits mono-wavelength light for high germicidal efficiency. Halonitromethanes (HNMs) are highly cytotoxic and genotoxic disinfection byproducts that can be formed during LED-UV265/chlorine disinfection. Thus, this work aimed to investigate the HNMs formation from glycine (Gly) during LED-UV265/chlorine disinfection. The results indicated that the concentrations of chlorinated-HNMs (Cl-HNMs) increased first and then decreased as the reaction proceeded. Besides, the effects of operating parameters (UV intensity, free chlorine dosage, and pH) and coexisting ions (Cu2+ and Br-) on HNMs formation were investigated. It was found that the formation concentrations of Cl-HNMs increased with the increase of LED-UV265 intensity and free chlorine dosage but decreased with increased pH. The presence of Cu2+ promoted the formation of Cl-HNMs. The total concentration of HNMs (at 3 min) with adding 1.5 mg/L Cu2+ was 30.90% higher than that without Cu2+. Notably, nine species of HNMs were detected after adding Br-, and the total concentrations of HNMs were enhanced. Moreover, Cl-HNMs were gradually transformed into brominated (chlorinated)-HNMs and brominated-HNMs as Br- concentration increased. According to the findings, the possible formation mechanism of HNMs from Gly during LED-UV265/chlorine disinfection was deduced. Finally, it was demonstrated that the formation laws of HNMs from Gly in real water samples were basically consistent with those in simulated water. Insights obtained in this study help to comprehend the HNMs formation from Gly and provide strategies for controlling the production of HNMs during LED-UV265/chlorine disinfection.

In silico prediction of polyethylene-aqueous and air partition coefficients of organic contaminants using linear and nonlinear approaches.

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) passive sampling is very attractive for use in determining chemicals concentrations. Crucial to the measurement is the coefficient (KPE) describing partitioning between LDPE and environmental matrices. 255, 117 and 190 compounds were collected for the development of datasets in three different matrices, i.e., water, air and seawater, respectively. Further, 3 pp-LFER models and 9 QSPR models based on classical multiple linear regression (MLR) coupled with prevalent nonlinear algorithms (artificial neural network, ANN and support vector machine, SVM) were performed to predict LDPE-water (KPE-W), LDPE-air (KPE-A) and LDPE-seawater (KPE-SW) partition coefficients. These developed models have satisfying predictability (R2adj: 0.805-0.966, 0.963-0.991 and 0.817-0.941; RMSEtra: 0.233-0.565, 0.200-0.406 and 0.260-0.459) and robustness (Q2ext: 0.840-0.943, 0.968-0.984 and 0.797-0.842; RMSEext: 0.308-0.514, 0.299-0.426 and 0.407-0.462) in three datasets (water, air and seawater), respectively. In particular, the reasonable mechanism interpretations revealed that the molecular size, hydrophobicity, polarizability, ionization potential, and molecular stability were the most relevant properties, for governing chemicals partitioning between LDPE and environmental matrices. The application domains (ADs) assessed here exhibited the satisfactory applicability. As such, the derived models can act as intelligent tools to predict unknown KPE values and fill the experimental gaps, which was further beneficial for the construction of enormous and reliable database to facilitate a distinct understanding of the distribution for organic contaminants in total environment.

Development of pp-LFER and QSPR models for predicting the diffusion coefficients of hydrophobic organic compounds in LDPE.

Diffusion coefficient (D) is important to evaluate the performance of passive samplers and to monitor the concentration of chemicals effectively. Herein, we developed a polyparameter linear free energy relationship (pp-LFER) model and a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) model for the prediction of diffusion coefficients of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) in low density polyethylene (LDPE). A dataset of 120 various chemicals was used to develop both models. The pp-LFER model was developed with two descriptors (V and E) and the statistical parameters of the model showed satisfactory results. As a further exploration of the diffusion behavior of the compounds, a QSPR model with five descriptors (ETA_Alpha, ASP-6, IC1, TDB6r and ATSC2v) was constructed with adjusted determination coefficient (R2) of 0.949 and cross-validation coefficient (QLoo2) of 0.941. The regression results indicated that both models had satisfactory goodness-of-fit and robustness. This study proves that pp-LFER and QSPR approaches are available for the prediction of log D values for the hydrophobic organic compounds within the applicability domain.

Achieving enhanced biological nitrogen removal via 2450 MHz electromagnetic wave loading on returned sludge in anaerobic-anoxic-oxic process.

To evaluate the enhancing of the biological nitrogen removal effectiveness by electromagnetic wave loading on returned sludge in the A/A/O reactor, some experiments were completed with the returned sludge loaded by 2,450 MHz electromagnetic wave. The excess sludge yield and pollutant removal effect of the system were evaluated. Results showed that stronger denitrification effect and less sludge yield were achieved. When 30% of the returned sludge was loaded by electromagnetic wave, the actual denitrification efficiency increased by 7% without dosage. The dissolution of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from loaded returned sludge was detected, thus providing the system with a supplemental carbon source of 4.6 g/d SCOD. The specific oxygen uptake rate of the oxic activated sludge increased by 14%, and the denitrification rate of the anoxic activated sludge increased by 29%. Illumina MiSeq analysis showed that the microbial richness increased obviously, and denitrifying bacteria (i.e. Dechloromonas, Zoogloea and Azospira, etc.) were accumulated.

Prediction of polydimethylsiloxane-water partition coefficients based on the pp-LFER and QSAR models.

Obtaining accurate measurements of the partition coefficients between sorbent materials and water is of major importance for the analysis of the adsorption behavior and dissolved concentrations of organic compounds in the environment. In the passive-sampling approach, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has a wide range of applications. Therefore, we established a poly-parameter linear-free energy relationship (pp-LFER) and a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model to predict the log KPDMS-w values for a large dataset of 290 organic chemicals from 11 diverse classes. For the pp-LFER model, E (excess molar refractivity), A (molecular H-bond donor ability), V (McGowan volume), and B (the H-bond acceptor properties) were introduced as the main correlated variables. However, the obtained model is much limited in terms of acquiring available descriptors. For this reason, we developed a QSAR model, and CrippenLogP (Crippen octanol-water partition coefficient), RNCG (Relative negative charge-most negative charge/total negative charge), ATSC4e (Centered Broto-Moreau autocorrelation-lag4/weighted by Sanderson electronegativities) and GATS6p (Geary autocorrelation-lag6/weighted by polarizabilities) were selected as the significant parameters. The predictive power and functional reliability of the presented models were confirmed with validation methods as described in previous studies. The adjusted determination coefficients (R2adj) of 0.851 and 0.922 and leave-one-out cross-validated (Q2LOO) of 0.841 and 0.907 revealed that the models have good predictive power and generalizability. Thus, the proposed models are simple yet accurate tools for predicting the log KPDMS-w values and providing new insights to further understand the adsorption mechanism of organic compounds.

Designing process and operational effect of modified septic tank for the pre-treatment of rural domestic sewage.

Structure and performance of a newly designed four-chamber septic tank were investigated in current study. A three-layer orifice plate was fitted in the first compartment in an upward direction, and a baffle was arranged in the second compartment of the septic tank. The filter placed in the third and fourth compartment was used to collect water for field irrigation or connect subsequent devices for further processing. Flow field distribution in the first chamber was numerically simulated by Fluent software, and simulation results were verified by residence time distribution tracer experiment. The improved treatment effects of the modified septic tank with optimal parameters of 20 mm (diameter), 60 mm (gap) and 180 mm (distance) were validated by simulation experiments. High removal rates of chemical and biological oxygen demand reflected the effectiveness of modified septic tanks.

Investigation on the carbon sequestration capacity of vegetation along a heavy traffic load expressway.

Carbon sequestration by vegetation plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. More emphasis on the carbon sequestration of roadside vegetation will help to reduce the total carbon emissions from the transportation sector. In the current study, the Shanghai-Nanjing G42 expressway in east China was selected to investigate and calculate the carbon sequestration of roadside vegetation including trees, shrubs and herbs. Findings of the current study revealed that the total carbon sequestration of all the vegetation was about 97,000 tons per year. Results also indicated that trees have a higher carbon sequestration capacity (γ) in unit land area compared to shrubs and herbs. The γ value of most of the shrubs was lower than that of tree; however, species such as Nerium indicum, Jasminum mesnyi and Forsythia suspense have better carbon sequestration capacity than some other tree species. The γ value of herbs was too low, compared with trees and shrubs. The findings of the current study will be of great benefit to make the vegetation planting strategy for express highways in the areas with similar geographic characteristics and climate.

Feasibility study of vertical flow constructed wetland for tertiary treatment of nanosilver wastewater and temporal-spatial distribution of pollutants and microbial community.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have the potential to cause negative effects on nutrient removal in constructed wetlands (CWs), further leading to the deterioration of the water. The current work aimed to investigate the feasibility of vertical flow CW (VFCW) for tertiary treatment of AgNPs wastewater, temporal-spatial distribution of pollutants, and microbial community after 450-day exposure. Results reveal that the effluent of VFCW could still meet the discharge limits except the slightly excessive concentration of phosphorus (>0.5 mg/L) from day 390, with the average removal efficiencies of 83%, 61%, 42%, 70%, and 66% for the chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, and soluble orthophosphate during 450 days, respectively. Results show that AgNPs removal was relatively stable over time, up to 96%. The temporal-spatial analysis reveals that all contaminants were mainly retained in the soil layer. The Ag concentrations in the upper soil layer and plant roots were higher than that in the lower soil layer and plant stems and leaves, respectively. Microbial sequencing analysis reveals the significant differences in the microbial community at different depths on day 450, with the dominant phyla of Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi and Bacteroidetes, and dominant genera of Halomonas and Pseudomonas. These results provide much needed knowledge for the implementation of ecological technologies for AgNPs and nutrient removal simultaneously.

Sediment in-situ bioremediation by immobilized microbial activated beads: Pilot-scale study.

A field study was carried out to investigate the sediment in-situ bioremediation by adding microbial activated beads. In this work, Calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide, activated carbon powder, attapulgite powder, sodium alginate, microbial liquid and polyvinyl alcohol were utilized to make the immobilized microbial activated beads. Field experiment results showed that the removal rate of NH4+-N, TN and COD in overlying water reached about 61.8%, 87.5% and 87.1%, respectively. The initial concentration of NH4+-N, TN and COD was 159 mg/L, 6.24 mg/L and 7.28 mg/L, whereas and the final concentration was 58 mg/L, 0.78 mg/L and 0.94 mg/L when water temperature, DO, pH and C/N ratio were 25-30 °C, 2-3 mg/L, 7.0-8.0 and 10-15, respectively. Moreover, under optimal temperature condition (25-30 °C), the removal rate of TOC, TN, heterotrophic bacteria and sulfur bacteria in the river sediment reached to 46.5%, 50.7%, 39.2% and 73.2%, respectively.

Adsorption behavior of benzenesulfonic acid by novel weakly basic anion exchange resins.

Two novel weakly basic anion exchange resins (SZ-1 and SZ-2) were prepared via the reaction of macroporous chloromethylated polystyrene-divinylbenzene (Cl-PS-DVB) beads with dicyclohexylamine and piperidine, respectively. The physicochemical structures of the resulting resins were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and pore size distribution analysis. The adsorption behavior of SZ-1 and SZ-2 for benzenesulfonic acid (BA) was evaluated, and the common commercial weakly basic anion exchanger D301 was also employed for comparison purpose. Adsorption isotherms and influence of solution pH, temperature and coexisting competitive inorganic salts (Na2SO4 and NaCl) on adsorption behavior were investigated and the optimum desorption agent was obtained. Adsorption isotherms of BA were found to be well represented by the Langmuir model. Thermodynamic parameters involving ΔH, ΔG and ΔS were also calculated and the results indicate that adsorption is an exothermic and spontaneous process. Enhanced selectivity of BA sorption over sulfate on the two novel resins was observed by comparison with the commercial anion exchanger D301. The fact that the tested resins loaded with BA can be efficiently regenerated by NaCl solution indicates the reversible sorption process. From a mechanistic viewpoint, this observation clearly suggests that electrostatic interaction is the predominant adsorption mechanism. Furthermore, results of column tests show that SZ-1 possesses a better adsorption property than D301, which reinforces the feasibility of SZ-1 for potential industrial application.

Effect evaluation of different green wastes on food waste digestate composting and improvement of operational conditions.

This study attempted to determine the influence of diverse green wastes on food waste digestate composting and the improvement of operational conditions. Various effects of the green wastes (GW), with different types and sizes, initial substrate mixture C/N ratios, compost pile heights, and turning frequencies on the food waste digestate (FWD) composting were examined in the current work. The findings showed that the use of street sweeping green waste (SSGW) as an additive can maintain the thermophilic stage of the FWD composting for 28 days, while the end-product contained the greatest amounts of total phosphorus (TP, 2.29%) and total potassium (TK, 4.61%) and the lowest moisture content (14.8%). Crushed SSGW (20 mm) enabled the FWD composting to maintain the longest thermophilic period (28 days), achieving the highest temperature (70.2 °C) and seed germination index (GI, 100%). Adjusting the initial substrate mixture C/N ratio to 25, compost pile height to 30 cm, and turning frequency to three times a day could enhance the efficiency and improve the fertilizer quality of the co-composting of the FWD and SSGW. This study suggested that co-composting of FWD and SSGW (FWD/SSGW = 2.3, wet weight) is a promising technique for the treatment of municipal solid waste and provided significant theoretical data for the application of composting.

Screening of representative rainfall event series for long-term hydrological performance evaluation of grassed swales.

Evaluation of the hydrological performance of grassed swales usually needs long-term monitoring data. At present, suitable techniques for simulating the hydrological performance using limited monitoring data are not available. Therefore, current study aims to investigate the relationship between saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) fitting results and rainfall characteristics of various events series length. Data from a full-scale grassed swale (Enschede, the Netherlands) were utilized as long-term rainfall event series length (95 rainfall events) on the fitting outcomes. Short-term rainfall event series were extracted from these long-term series and used as input in fitting into a multivariate nonlinear model between Ks and its influencing rainfall indicators (antecedent dry days, temperature, rainfall, rainfall duration, total rainfall, and seasonal factor (spring, summer, autumn, and winter, herein refer as 1, 2, 3, and 4). Comparison of short-term and long-term rainfall event series fitting results allowed to obtain a representative short-term series that leads to similar results with those using long-term series. A cluster analysis was conducted based on the fitting results of the representative rainfall event series with their rainfall event characteristics using average values of influencing rainfall indicators. The seasonal index (average value of seasonal factors) was found to be the most representative short rainfall event series indicator. Furthermore, a Bayesian network was proposed in the current study to predict if a given short-term rainfall event series is representative. It was validated by a data series (58 rainfall events) from another full-scale grassed swale located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Results revealed that it is quite promising and useful to evaluate the representativeness of short-term rainfall event series used for long-term hydrological performance evaluation of grassed swales.