Factors affecting total nitrogen(TN) removal rates in constructed wetland were investigated by intermittent operation in the subsurface flow(SSF) constructed wetland system.The results demonstrated that removal rates of TN increased with the rising of TN pollution load(1.40-12.40 g/m2) when the retention time was determined by 60% TN removal efficiency(n=180,p<0.05) in SSF wetlands.The maximum TN removal rate was 1.71 g/(m2·d) in SSF Phragmites australis-soil-slag system.TN removal rates were affected by total phosphorus load in case of higher TN load.TN removal rates in SSF Phragmites australis wetlands were greater than that in SSF Calamagrostis angustifolia wetlands at the same experimental cycle.Effect of wetland substrates on TN removal rates varied with the pollutants loading in SSF constructed wetland system,plant species and plant-growing period.
Chemical forms, reactivities and transformation of iron fractions in marshy waters were investigated with cross-flow filtration technique to study the iron environmental behavior. Iron fractions were divided into four parts: acid-labile iron (pre-acidification of unfiltered marshy water samples, > 0.7 μm), high-molecular-weight iron (0.7-0.05 μm), medium-molecular-weight iron (0.05-0.01 μm), and low-molecular-weight iron (< 0.01 μm). The cross-flow filtration suggested that iron primarily exist in both the > 0.7 μm and < 0.01 μm size fractions in marshy waters. Rainfall is the key for rain-fed wetland to determine fate of iron by changing the aquatic biochemical conditions. By monitoring the variation of iron concentrations and fractions over three years, it was found that dissolved iron and acid-labile iron concentrations exhibit a large variation extent under different annual rainfalls from 2006 to 2008. The seasonal variation for iron species proved that the surface temperature could control some conversion reactions of iron in marshy waters. Low- molecular-weight iron would convert to acid-labile iron gradually with temperature decreasing. The photochemical reactions of iron fractions, especially low-molecular-weight iron had occurred under solar irradiation. The relative proportion of low-molecular-weight in total dissolved iron ranging from 28.3% to 43.2% were found during the day time, which proved that the observed decreasing concentration of acid lability iron was caused by its degradation to low molecular weight iron.
Xiaofeng PanBaixing YanMuneoki YohLixia WangXiuqi Liu
This study reports the geochemical characteristics of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), mercury (Hg), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) in the riparian sediment pore water of the Songhua River, Northeast China. In total, 36 pore water samples and 18 surface water samples from three typical sections were collected and analyzed in June 2009. Cluster analysis of heavy metals was performed to analyze the pollution sources of the metals. Results showed that Hg concentrations in the pore water were greater than those in the surface water, indicating a potential ability of Hg release from riparian sediment system to river water. However, concentrations of Fe and Mn in the surface water were greater than those in the pore water, demonstrating that the microenvironments of riparian and riverbed sediment systems were quite different. Variations of Zn, Cu, Pb and Ni between the surface and the pore water were different in each section. Most metals had similar horizontal and profile distribution characteristics in the three sections except for Zn and Ni. Hg, Fe and Mn concentrations in the pore water increased gradually with the increase in horizontal distance from water body, in contrast to this, Cu decreased, and Pb presented a fluctuating trend. With the increase in depth, Pb and Fe, Cu and Mn showed the same trends, and Hg showed a variable trend. The above distribution characteristics could mainly be attributed to the properties and the interactions of metals, pH and oxidation-reduction conditions, and the complex pollution sources and hydrologic regime in history. The probable sources of metals include the historical and ongoing discharge of industrial wastewater, mining activities, sewage irrigation for agricultural production, and atmospheric deposition from coal-fired plants.
