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Constructed Wetlands Treating Runoff Contaminated with Nutrients

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Abstract

The aim was to assess the role of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. in experimental, mature, and temporarily flooded vertical flow wetland filters treating urban runoff rich in organic matter. During the experiment, ammonium chloride was added to sieved concentrated road runoff to simulate primary treated urban runoff contaminated with nitrogen. Five days at 20°C N-allylthiourea biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand removal efficiencies were relatively lower for planted than unplanted filters. Moreover, there was no significant difference for BOD removal for all filters under fluctuating inflow concentrations of sulfate. The nitrogen removal performances of planted filters were more efficient and stable throughout the seasons compared to those of unplanted filters. A substantial load of nitrogen (approximately 500 mg per filter) was removed by harvesting P. australis. Plant uptake was the main removal mechanism for nitrogen during high concentrations (10 mg/L) of ammonia-nitrogen in the urban runoff.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support provided by the “UK/China Postgraduate Research Scholarships for Excellence” initiative for Dr Xiaohui Wu, who undertook most of the laboratory work. Further thanks go to Mr. Byoung-Hwa Lee, Mrs. Sara Kazemi-Yazdi, Mr. Paul Eke, and Mr. Piotr Grabowiecki for their practical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, William Rankine Building, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JL, Scotland, UK

    M. Scholz

  2. Department of Forest Products, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7008, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden

    Å. Hedmark

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  1. M. Scholz
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  2. Å. Hedmark
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Correspondence to M. Scholz.

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Scholz, M., Hedmark, Å. Constructed Wetlands Treating Runoff Contaminated with Nutrients. Water Air Soil Pollut 205, 323–332 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-0076-y

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