Promoting Aquatic Health in Constructed Wetlands: Removal of Pathogens and Nitrogen
Due to urbanization and population growth, freshwater resources have become a long-term concern for most developing countries. With the growth of population, the demand for fresh water is increasing and the requirement for sewage treatment is also increasing. In recent years, the demand for sewage r...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/7/917 |
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| author | Zihang Yang Yuanchun Zou Xiaoyan Zhu Xiuli Yu |
| author_facet | Zihang Yang Yuanchun Zou Xiaoyan Zhu Xiuli Yu |
| author_sort | Zihang Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Due to urbanization and population growth, freshwater resources have become a long-term concern for most developing countries. With the growth of population, the demand for fresh water is increasing and the requirement for sewage treatment is also increasing. In recent years, the demand for sewage recycling has increased sharply. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are an effective sewage treatment system with low energy consumption, minimal maintenance requirements, and a low operation cost, which will meet the current demand for the removal of nutrients and pathogens. The application of CWs in sewage treatment has attracted more and more attention because it is also a nature-based solution (NbS). These systems are capable of removing not only nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), but also pathogen indicators, such as fecal coliform and <i>Escherichia coli</i>. The presence of these indicators also suggests the influx of other pathogens into aquatic systems, thereby threatening aquatic ecological health. However, research on the removal of pathogens in CWs is relatively scare and their removal mechanisms are not fully understood. Despite their widespread application, the role of plants in CWs, particularly in the specific mechanism of pathogens and nitrogen removal, remains largely unknown. This article will help us to better understand this technology and provide help for our further research. In this paper, the coupled denitrification mechanism between microorganisms and plants in the process of nitrogen transformation was discussed. Plants affect nitrogen transformation microorganisms by releasing oxygen and secretions from their roots and provide substrates for bioremediation. The removal effects of different types of CWs on pathogen and nitrogen species were also summarized. Overall, the removal effect of subsurface flow wetlands outperforms that of surface flow wetlands, with multi-stage wetland systems being the most effective. The main factors affecting the removal of pathogens and nitrogen species in CWs include plants, substrates, operating parameters, UV radiation, temperature, water composition, and pH. Finally, the research frontiers on the removal of pathogens in CWs were prospected. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:34:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7411735a91f74acfbe4bb2485ea42009 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:34:39Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-7411735a91f74acfbe4bb2485ea420092024-04-12T13:26:56ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412024-03-0116791710.3390/w16070917Promoting Aquatic Health in Constructed Wetlands: Removal of Pathogens and NitrogenZihang Yang0Yuanchun Zou1Xiaoyan Zhu2Xiuli Yu3School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun 130118, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization & Heilongjiang Xingkai Lake Wetland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station & Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment & Jilin Provincial Joint Key Laboratory of Changbai Mountain Wetlandand Ecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, ChinaSchool of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun 130118, ChinaSchool of Tourism and Geographical Science, Baicheng Normal University, Baicheng 137000, ChinaDue to urbanization and population growth, freshwater resources have become a long-term concern for most developing countries. With the growth of population, the demand for fresh water is increasing and the requirement for sewage treatment is also increasing. In recent years, the demand for sewage recycling has increased sharply. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are an effective sewage treatment system with low energy consumption, minimal maintenance requirements, and a low operation cost, which will meet the current demand for the removal of nutrients and pathogens. The application of CWs in sewage treatment has attracted more and more attention because it is also a nature-based solution (NbS). These systems are capable of removing not only nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), but also pathogen indicators, such as fecal coliform and <i>Escherichia coli</i>. The presence of these indicators also suggests the influx of other pathogens into aquatic systems, thereby threatening aquatic ecological health. However, research on the removal of pathogens in CWs is relatively scare and their removal mechanisms are not fully understood. Despite their widespread application, the role of plants in CWs, particularly in the specific mechanism of pathogens and nitrogen removal, remains largely unknown. This article will help us to better understand this technology and provide help for our further research. In this paper, the coupled denitrification mechanism between microorganisms and plants in the process of nitrogen transformation was discussed. Plants affect nitrogen transformation microorganisms by releasing oxygen and secretions from their roots and provide substrates for bioremediation. The removal effects of different types of CWs on pathogen and nitrogen species were also summarized. Overall, the removal effect of subsurface flow wetlands outperforms that of surface flow wetlands, with multi-stage wetland systems being the most effective. The main factors affecting the removal of pathogens and nitrogen species in CWs include plants, substrates, operating parameters, UV radiation, temperature, water composition, and pH. Finally, the research frontiers on the removal of pathogens in CWs were prospected.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/7/917water quality improvementsustainable water managementplantsinfluence factors |
| spellingShingle | Zihang Yang Yuanchun Zou Xiaoyan Zhu Xiuli Yu Promoting Aquatic Health in Constructed Wetlands: Removal of Pathogens and Nitrogen Water water quality improvement sustainable water management plants influence factors |
| title | Promoting Aquatic Health in Constructed Wetlands: Removal of Pathogens and Nitrogen |
| title_full | Promoting Aquatic Health in Constructed Wetlands: Removal of Pathogens and Nitrogen |
| title_fullStr | Promoting Aquatic Health in Constructed Wetlands: Removal of Pathogens and Nitrogen |
| title_full_unstemmed | Promoting Aquatic Health in Constructed Wetlands: Removal of Pathogens and Nitrogen |
| title_short | Promoting Aquatic Health in Constructed Wetlands: Removal of Pathogens and Nitrogen |
| title_sort | promoting aquatic health in constructed wetlands removal of pathogens and nitrogen |
| topic | water quality improvement sustainable water management plants influence factors |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/7/917 |
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