Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
Volume 22, Issue 17, Pages 12829-12839Publisher
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3575-3
Keywords
Nitrogen; Ammonium; Constructed wetland; Nitrification; Denitrification; Isotope fractionation
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Funding
- European Commission, Marie Curie Actions Project [265063]
- SAFIRA project
- Helmholtz Interdisciplinary Graduate School for Environmental Research (HIGRADE)
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Pathways of ammonium (NH4 (+)) removal were investigated using the stable isotope approach in constructed wetlands (CWs). We investigated and compared several types of CWs: planted horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF), unplanted HSSF, and floating plant root mat (FPRM), including spatial and seasonal variations. Plant presence was the key factor influencing efficiency of NH4 (+) removal in all CWs, what was illustrated by lower NH4 (+)-N removal by the unplanted HSSF CW in comparison with planted CWs. No statistically significant differences in NH4 (+) removal efficiencies between seasons were detected. Even though plant uptake accounted for 32-100 % of NH4 (+) removal during spring and summer in planted CWs, throughout the year, most of NH4 (+) was removed via simultaneous nitrification-denitrification, what was clearly shown by linear increase of delta N-15-NH4 (+) with decrease of loads along the flow path and absence of nitrate (NO3 (-)) accumulation. Average yearly enrichment factor for nitrification was -7.9 aEuro degrees for planted HSSF CW and -5.8 aEuro degrees for FPRM. Lack of enrichment for delta N-15-NO3 (-) implied that other processes, such as nitrification and mineralization were superimposed on denitrification and makes the stable isotope approach unsuitable for the estimation of denitrification in the systems obtaining NH4 (+) rich inflow water.
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