Enhanced benzofluoranthrene removal in constructed wetlands with iron-modified biochar: Mediated by dissolved organic matter and microbial response

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pose a high risk to ecosystems owing to their adverse environmental effects. The use of biochar in constructed wetlands (CWs) to remove PAH has received increased interest, but is frequently challenging because of saturation adsorption. To enhance the microbial degradation, electron acceptors are provided. This study aimed to remove a representative PAH, benzofluoranthrene (BbF), using ironmodified biochar as a supplement to the CW substrate. Results revealed that iron-mediated biochar based CWs increased the removal of BbF by 20.4 % and ammonium by 25.6 %. The BbF retained in substrate with biochar (36.6 % higher content) and further removed with iron modification (40.6 % lower content). Iron-modified biochar increased dissolved organic carbon content, particularly low-aromaticity, and low-molecular-weight organic matters (25.7 % higher tryptophan-like material), which contributed to PAH degradation by microorganisms. Microbial analysis confirmed that iron-mediated biochar enriched the abundance of microbes (e.g., Cellulomonas, Actinotalea, Sphingomonas) , key enzymes (e.g., catA, lipV, and sdhA) that are involved in PAH degradation. Higher proportion of iron-reducing bacteria (e. g., Thiobacillus, Rhodobacter) played a signif-icant role in driving microbial iron cycle, which was beneficial for PAHs removal. Based on the results, we confirmed that the use of iron-modified biochar in CWs enhance PAH removal.

Automated summary

The use of iron-modified biochar in constructed wetlands enhances the removal of benzofluoranthrene and ammonium by increasing microbial degradation. The iron-mediated biochar increases dissolved organic carbon content and enriches microbial abundance and key enzymes involved in PAH degradation. This study confirms that the use of iron-modified biochar in constructed wetlands enhances PAH removal.