Removal of Uv254nm Matter and Nutrients from a Photobioreactor
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Journal of Hazardous Materials 194 (2011) 1–6 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Hazardous Materials journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhazmat Removal of UV254 nm matter and nutrients from a photobioreactor-wetland system Yonghong Wu a,b, Jiangzhou He c, Zhengyi Hu a,b, Linzhang Yang a,∗, Naiming Zhang d a State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China b Institute of Soil Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China c College of Life Science, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China d College of Resource and Environment, Yunnan Agriculture University, Kunming 650201, China article info abstract Article history: The output of organic pollutants and excessive nutrients in intensive agricultural areas has frequently Received 6 July 2010 occurred, which easily lead to pollution events such as harmful algal blooms in downstream aquatic Received in revised form 24 October 2010 ecosystems. A photobioreactor-wetland system was applied to remove UV254 nm matter and dissolved Accepted 27 October 2010 nutrients discharged from an intensive agricultural area in the Kunming region of western China. The Available online 3 November 2010 photobioreactor-wetland system was composed of two main components: an autotrophic photobiore- actor with replanted macrophytes and a constructed wetland. The results showed that there was a Key words: significant correlation between UV absorbance and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration UV254 nm matter 245 nm Nutrient in the effluent of the agricultural ecosystem. When the hydraulic load of the photobioreactor-wetland sys- 3 −1 Zoobenthos tem was 500 m day , the UV254 nm absorbance was dramatically reduced, and dissolved nutrients such Bioreactor as TDP, NO3–N and NH4–N were effectively removed. The overall average removal efficiencies were as Aromatic compounds follows in relatively steady-state conditions: UV254 nm matter (66%), TDP (71%), NO3–N (75%) and NH4–N (65%). Simpson’s diversity index of zoobenthos indicated that the system could increase the zoobenthic diversity and improve the growth conditions of the zoobenthos habitat. The results also showed that the photobioreactor-wetland system could remove the UV254 nm matter and dissolved nutrients, providing a promising bio-measure for reducing the risk of pollution event occurrences in downstream surface waters. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Many measures have been proposed to decrease the amount of organic contaminants and nutrients in aquatic ecosystems [6]. Chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and plant hormones These measures include (1) the reduction of the production of are often applied in intensive agricultural areas to maintain high potential pollutants (e.g., reducing usage of agrochemicals) [7], yields [1]. These chemicals usually constitute the majority of (2) the reduction of the migration of pollutants (e.g., improving non-point-source pollutants to the downstream surface aquatic irrigation management) [8] and (3) the acceleration of the seques- ecosystems when they are carried either by runoff or irrigation tration and degradation of pollutants toward aquatic ecosystems effluent [2]. These are some of the most predominant pollution (e.g., buffer zones and wetlands) [9]. Many specific technologies sources causing eutrophication and harmful algal blooms [3]. Fur- have been developed for the final treatment in the removal of aro- thermore, the migration of some organic contaminants, such as matic compounds, and various measures have been introduced, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, into aquatic ecosystems poses such as the application of soybean peroxidase [10], the utiliza- a hazardous threat to some beneficial animals such as tadpoles tion of ozone and photocatalytic processes [11], bioremediation [4,5] and destroys the food web and the balance of the aquatic via specific aromatic compound-degradating microorganisms [12], ecosystem. Thus, the reduction of the inputs of organic contami- and physical sequestration by clays [13] and powdered activated nants and excessive nutrients into downstream aquatic ecosystems carbon [14]. has a practical significance. The aforementioned measures/technologies are useful and have great benefits to downstream environments. However, several new, complex problems have arisen due to the introduction of some ‘modern’ farming techniques. For example, aromatic com- ∗ pounds have been brought into the soil with the application of some Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 25 8688 1591; fax: +86 25 8688 1591. E-mail address: [email protected] (L. Yang). new pesticides, herbicides and phytohormones, such as mecoprop 0304-3894/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.10.096 2 Y. Wu et al. / Journal of Hazardous Materials 194 (2011) 1–6 Fig. 1. A schematic model of the photobioreactor-wetland system. The influent load of the photobioreactor-wetland system is 500 m3 day−1 on non-rainy days (rain- fall < 10 mm). The load of the wetland is 600 m3 day−1. The influent of the wetland is from the photobioreactor, which in turn flows into the photobioreactor through the wetland outlet after purification by the wetland, thereby discharging the effluent of the photobioreactor-wetland system. [2-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) propionic acid] [15] and auxin 2. Materials and methods [16]. These aromatic compounds can move into the downstream aquatic ecosystems through runoff and irrigation. In addition, the 2.1. Description of the photobioreactor-wetland system long-term applications of chemical fertilizers have caused the degradation of soil quality and the decline of nutrient-holding A photobioreactor-wetland system was devised to remove capacities [17]. This degradation might lead to excessive dissolved organic matter and dissolved nutrients from upstream areas of sur- nutrients, such as dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus, flowing eas- face waters and consisted of two parts (Fig. 1): a photobioreactor ily into downstream aquatic ecosystems, increasing the risk of and a constructed wetland. eutrophication. To reduce the input of these organic contaminants The photobioreactor covered an area of 1800 m2 (180 m × 10 m) and dissolved nutrients into downstream aquatic ecosystems, these with a mean depth of ∼1.7 m and a maximum depth of 2.6 m. pollutants should be removed by environmentally friendly bio- Several aquatic plant species reported to have a high capacity for measures at the downstream catchments of intensive agricultural removing organic contaminants, including Salix rosmarinifolia L., areas, thus improving the self-purifying capacities of aquatic sys- Myriophyllum verticillatum L., Pistia stratiotes L., Hydrilla verticil- tems. lata (L. f.) Royle, Typha latifolia L., Zizania latifolia, were introduced We therefore proposed a photobioreactor-wetland system and into the photobioreactor from August to October 2006. During the utilized the technology based on this system at the down- experimental period, about 85–90% of the water area of the pho- stream catchments of an intensive agricultural area in the tobioreactor was covered by M. verticillatum L. and P. stratiotes Kunming region of western China, where the self-purifying capac- L. A complete list of the introduced aquatic plants is shown in ity had been weakened. To provide an amplified model of the Table 1. photobioreactor-wetland system at an industrial scale, three addi- To purify the water in the photobioreactor, a constructed tional considerations should be taken into account: (1) the measure wetland area of 800 m2 was built. The construction included sub- should be environmentally friendly, requiring that it not bring any surface flow and complete effluent percolation through artificial hazardous materials or artificial chemicals into the environment; substrates. At a distance of 4.5 m close to the photobioreactor, a (2) the habitats of native flora and fauna should be recovered, wetland was built that was 20-m wide, 40-m long, and 1.5-m deep and then the self-purifying capacity of the recovered ecosystem and was also attached to the photobioreactor. The 20-cm gravel should be improved, and (3) the construction and operation of the (diameter: 15–25 mm) columns were filled at the bottom with a photobioreactor-wetland system should be simple. The capital and mixture of clay and sand layers of 60 cm (depth) for plant support. operation costs should be affordable. The six macrophytes, Cyperus alternifolius, Scirpus tabernaemontani, Table 1 The species, quantities and sources of young plants used to restore the macrophyte ecosystem. Species Quantities (young plants) Sources of young plants 1 Salix rosmarinifolia L. 600 The aquatic willows (length 30–50 cm, diameter ≈1.5 cm) were collected from an area near the experimental photobioreactor 2 Myriophyllum verticillatum L. 18,000 The minor materials were collected from ditches and wetlands near the experimental area 3 Pistia stratiotes L. 4000 40,000 were collected from Dianchi Lake, southeast China 4 Hydrilla verticillata (L. f.) Royle 12,000 Collected with silt from a cultural area near east of the Caohai Lake 5 Typha latifolia L. 5000 From a ditch near the experimental photobioreactor 6 Zizania latifolia (Griseb.) Stapf. 3000 From a ditch and wetland near the experimental photobioreactor 7 Other macrophytesa 20,000 From a ditch, photobioreactor and wetland near the experimental area a Other macrophytes include Arundo donax L.