Abstract
Background
Single-stage constructed wetlands (CWs) has a single ecological service function and is greatly affected by temperature, which are general in removal of total nitrogen. Multistage hybrid CWs were proven to capable of enhancing removal of nitrogen. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the variation in nitrogen removal in the combined CWs-pond process from summer to winter and the contribution of plant harvesting and the functions of bacteria to nitrogen removal.
Methods
A pilot-scale multistage constructed wetland-pond system (MCWP) with the process of "the pre-ecological oxidation pond + the two-level horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSCW) + the surface flow constructed wetland (SFCW) and the submerged plant pond (SPP)" was used to treat actual polluted river water in the field. During the 124 days of operation, the nitrogen concentrations in the units influent and effluent of the system were measured every two days, and the plant height in HSCWs and SFCW was measured once per month. When the system operated stably to the 72nd day, the substrates in the CWs were sampled to analyze the bacterial community structure and composition.
Results
The concentration of total nitrogen (TN) in the MCWP gradually decreased from 3.46 mg/L to 2.04 mg/L, and the average removal efficiency of TN was approximately 40.74%. The SPP performed the best among all units, and the TN removal efficiency was as high as 16.08%. The TN removal efficiency was significantly positively affected by the daily highest temperature. A formula between the total TN removal efficiency and the highest temperature was obtained by nonlinear fitting. The TN removal load rate in the HSCWs was 2.7–3.7 times that of the SFCW. Furthermore, the TN transformed by Iris pseudacorus L. accounted for 54.53% in the SFCW.
Conclusion
We found that the significant positive correlation between the daily highest temperature and the total TN removal rate a field MCWP system. The SFCW, as an advanced treatment unit, increased the proportion of nitrogen removed by plant harvesting. The bacteria completed the nitrogen cycle in the SFCW, which had high-density planting, through a variety of nitrogen removal pathways.
Effect of the Influent Substrate Concentration on Nitrogen Removal from Summer to Winter in Field Pilot-Scale Multistage Constructed Wetland–Pond Systems for Treating Low-C/N River Water
