Research on the purification enhancement of ecological ponds: Integrating water cycle optimization and plants layout

Abstract

The hydrodynamic conditions of ponds are generally poor, which seriously affects the long-term water quality guarantee. In this research, the numerical simulation method was used to establish an integrated model of hydrodynamics and water quality for the simulation of the plant purification effect in ponds. Based on the flushing time using the tracer method, the purification rate of plants was introduced to consider the purification effect of plants on water quality. In-situ monitoring was carried out at the Luxihe pond in Chengdu, and the model parameters such as the purification rate of typical plants were calibrated. The degradation coefficient of NH₃-N in the non-vegetated area was 0.014 d^-1 in August and 0.010 d^-1 in November. In areas with vegetation, the purification rate of NH₃-N was 0.10-0.20 g/(m²·d) in August and 0.06-0.12 g/(m²·d) in November. The comparison of the results in August and November showed that due to the higher temperature in August, the plant growth effect was better, and the degradation rate of pollutants and the purification rate of pollutants by plants were higher. The flushing time distribution of the proposed Baihedao pond under the conditions of terrain reconstruction, water replenishment, and plant layout was simulated, and the frequency distribution curve of flushing time was used to evaluate the results. Terrain reconstruction and water replenishment can significantly improve the water exchange capacity of ponds. The reasonable planting of plants can reduce the variability of the water exchange capacity. Based on this combined with the purification effect of plants on NH₃-N, the layout plan of Canna, Cattails, and Thalia in ponds was proposed.

Keywords: Ecological ponds; Flushing time; Mathematical model; Purification rate.