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The Nutrient Removal Ability and Microbial Communities in a Pilot-Scale Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetland Fed by Slightly Polluted Lake Water

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Abstract

A pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HFCW) was established to investigate the feasibility of removing nutrients from natural water in Lake Xijiu, Jiangsu Province, China. The HFCW, planted with reeds (Phragmites communis) and irises (Iris tectorum Maxim), was operated for 227 days. The mean removal efficiency of NH4+-N was 36.7%, of total nitrogen (TN) 70.2%, of total phosphorus 75.3%, of permanganate index (CODMn) 35.8%, and of Chlorophyll a 70.0%. The effluent concentrations of these pollutants were all within the Grade III threshold of China’s water quality standards for surface water. Correlation analysis showed that TN removal was related to the CODMn concentration in the influent (r2 = 0.65) and was closely related to the temperature (r2 = 0.91). The HFCW had a water production efficiency of 98%–99% over the entire operational period, which suggests that it did not block easily. Results from 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing showed that Proteobacteria (40.65%) dominated at the phylum level. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Nitrosomonadaceae (3.57%) was highest in autumn and the spatial distribution from the front to the back varied slightly from 2.57% to 2.99%. Our results will help researchers to develop optimal designs for HFCW systems to treat slightly polluted water.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2014ZX07405002D; 2017ZX07501001-07).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, People’s Republic of China

    Weigang Wang, Yuhao Zhao, Guangmeng Jiang & Yayi Wang

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  1. Weigang Wang
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  2. Yuhao Zhao
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  3. Guangmeng Jiang
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  4. Yayi Wang
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Correspondence to Yayi Wang.

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Wang, W., Zhao, Y., Jiang, G. et al. The Nutrient Removal Ability and Microbial Communities in a Pilot-Scale Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetland Fed by Slightly Polluted Lake Water. Wetlands 40, 2085–2096 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-020-01327-z

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