Title: Impact of plant harvesting on nitrogen and phosphorus removal in constructed wetlands treating agricultural region wastewater

Authors: S.Y. Lu, P.Y. Zhang, W.H. Cui

Addresses: State Environmental Protection Key, Laboratory for Lake Pollution Control, Research Center of Lake Environment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. ' Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. ' School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China

Abstract: Agricultural region wastewater near Dianchi Lake, China increases eutrophication of the lake. Thus nitrogen and phosphorus removal from the wastewater by Phragmites australis and Zizania caduciflora in two Constructed Wetlands (CWs) was studied. South CW and North CW have areas of 2800 and 4200 m², respectively. From January 2003 to December 2003, the input loads were 5.31 (2.89) and 0.68 (0.37) kg P ha⁻¹ day⁻¹ in SCW (NCW). The removal amounts of N and P via plant harvesting accounted for 32 (58) and 37 (51)% of the corresponding removal load in SCW (NCW).

Keywords: constructed wetlands; farmland irrigation; drainage; wastewater treatment; nitrogen removal; phosphorus removal; Phragmites australis; Zizania caduciflora; harvesting; China; agriculture; lake eutrophication.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2010.036931

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2010 Vol.43 No.4, pp.339 - 353

Published online: 16 Nov 2010 *

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