Impact of a natural disturbance on the performance and microbial communities in a full-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment
Constructed Wetlands (CWs) are a cost-effective, versatile and sustainable choice for wastewater treatment. In these environments, microbial communities play a significant role in pollutant removal. However, little is known about how microbial communities in full-scale CWs contribute to maintaining...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1187143/full |
| _version_ | 1797830014791581696 |
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| author | Marielle Hollstein Mattheau Comerford Michael Uhl Michael Abel Scott P. Egan Lauren B. Stadler |
| author_facet | Marielle Hollstein Mattheau Comerford Michael Uhl Michael Abel Scott P. Egan Lauren B. Stadler |
| author_sort | Marielle Hollstein |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Constructed Wetlands (CWs) are a cost-effective, versatile and sustainable choice for wastewater treatment. In these environments, microbial communities play a significant role in pollutant removal. However, little is known about how microbial communities in full-scale CWs contribute to maintaining water quality or how their dynamics change in response to pulse disturbances such as fire or freezes. Furthermore, few studies have examined the relationship between CW microbial community structure and performance in full-scale industrial operations. We characterized the water-column and leaf-litter layer microbial communities in a 110-acre free water surface CW that provides tertiary wastewater treatment to a plastics manufacturing plant. The CW’s sampling campaign was conducted over a 12-month period that included Winter Storm Uri, a 100-year freeze event. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequences revealed that the bacterial communities experienced a temporal shift. There was also a shift in microbial community structure between the influent and the first segment of the CW. However, no differences in microbial community structure were observed in the second segment of the CW. There was a negative association between microbial community diversity and chlorophyll a, as well as microbial community diversity and total suspended solids (TSS); demonstrating an increase in microbial biodiversity as water quality improved throughout the CW. Six months after the freeze, CW performance in terms of removal of water quality constituents began to return to former removal trends. Yet, there was still a significant difference in microbial community structure within the CW relative to the previous year. This suggests CW functional resilience despite a shift in microbial community structure in the wetland. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:29:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-271c6ba5982242be84dd5386341c2cbf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:29:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-271c6ba5982242be84dd5386341c2cbf2023-05-10T05:03:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2023-05-011110.3389/fenvs.2023.11871431187143Impact of a natural disturbance on the performance and microbial communities in a full-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatmentMarielle Hollstein0Mattheau Comerford1Michael Uhl2Michael Abel3Scott P. Egan4Lauren B. Stadler5Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, United StatesDepartment of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, United StatesDow Chemical Company, Freeport, TX, United StatesDow Chemical Company, Freeport, TX, United StatesDepartment of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, United StatesDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, United StatesConstructed Wetlands (CWs) are a cost-effective, versatile and sustainable choice for wastewater treatment. In these environments, microbial communities play a significant role in pollutant removal. However, little is known about how microbial communities in full-scale CWs contribute to maintaining water quality or how their dynamics change in response to pulse disturbances such as fire or freezes. Furthermore, few studies have examined the relationship between CW microbial community structure and performance in full-scale industrial operations. We characterized the water-column and leaf-litter layer microbial communities in a 110-acre free water surface CW that provides tertiary wastewater treatment to a plastics manufacturing plant. The CW’s sampling campaign was conducted over a 12-month period that included Winter Storm Uri, a 100-year freeze event. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequences revealed that the bacterial communities experienced a temporal shift. There was also a shift in microbial community structure between the influent and the first segment of the CW. However, no differences in microbial community structure were observed in the second segment of the CW. There was a negative association between microbial community diversity and chlorophyll a, as well as microbial community diversity and total suspended solids (TSS); demonstrating an increase in microbial biodiversity as water quality improved throughout the CW. Six months after the freeze, CW performance in terms of removal of water quality constituents began to return to former removal trends. Yet, there was still a significant difference in microbial community structure within the CW relative to the previous year. This suggests CW functional resilience despite a shift in microbial community structure in the wetland.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1187143/fullconstructed wetlandsmicrobial community16S rRNA gene analysispulse disturbanceindustrial wastewater |
| spellingShingle | Marielle Hollstein Mattheau Comerford Michael Uhl Michael Abel Scott P. Egan Lauren B. Stadler Impact of a natural disturbance on the performance and microbial communities in a full-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment Frontiers in Environmental Science constructed wetlands microbial community 16S rRNA gene analysis pulse disturbance industrial wastewater |
| title | Impact of a natural disturbance on the performance and microbial communities in a full-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment |
| title_full | Impact of a natural disturbance on the performance and microbial communities in a full-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment |
| title_fullStr | Impact of a natural disturbance on the performance and microbial communities in a full-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of a natural disturbance on the performance and microbial communities in a full-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment |
| title_short | Impact of a natural disturbance on the performance and microbial communities in a full-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment |
| title_sort | impact of a natural disturbance on the performance and microbial communities in a full scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment |
| topic | constructed wetlands microbial community 16S rRNA gene analysis pulse disturbance industrial wastewater |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1187143/full |
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