Ceramsite Facilitated Microbial Degradation of Pollutants in Domestic Wastewater

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jun 30;17(13):4692. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17134692.

Abstract

Although constructed wetlands (CWs) are widely used around the world with various substrates, the mechanisms of how these modified substrates affect wastewater treatment are still unknown. In this study, CW microcosms were established with and without ceramsite as a substrate, and the wastewater treatment efficiencies were evaluated during 71 days of incubation. Using the 16S rRNA high-through sequencing, the mechanisms of how CW substrate changed the microbial community was quantified. The results showed that compared to soil as substrate, the use of ceramsite as substrate material enhanced the removal of pollutants from CW systems, particularly under a short retention time (1.5-day) condition. There were more beneficial microorganism groups (nitrogen, sulfur, phosphate) in the ceramsite CW system than the non-ceramsite CW system, particularly in the bottom layers. Moreover, the CW with ceramsite substrate had more nitrification function. All of these results suggested that the ceramsite CW system enhanced the removal of pollutants because it increased the concentration of key microbes that are necessarily for nutrient cycles.

Keywords: ceramsite substrate; constructed wetland; microbial community component; nitrogen functional microorganisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Environmental Pollutants*
  • Nitrogen / analysis
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid
  • Wastewater*
  • Wetlands

Substances

  • Environmental Pollutants
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Waste Water
  • Nitrogen