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Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2018) | Viewed by 50899

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Guangzhi Sun

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Guest Editor

Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Interests: constructed wetland; environmental nanotechnology; wastewater treatment; wetland ecosystem assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural drainages, such as irrigation waters from paddy fields, often carry nutrients and pesticides that cause eutrophication and bioaccumulation of endocrine disruptors in receiving waterways. Seasonal factors can significantly affect the quantity, and sometimes quality, of these waters. While no water may be discharged from an agricultural land in many months of a year, a large quantity can be released during a short period of time, giving an excessive pollutant load on any pollution control/mitigation system. As a result, the management and treatment of agricultural drainages present a significant technical challenge. Worldwide, answers are being sought about: (a) the optimal apportionment of lands to production and conservation; (b) innovative management to prevent uncontrolled drainage discharge; and (c) cost-efficient and effective treatment technologies.

Considered kidneys of the Earth, wetlands have had their unique water purification function recognised, and used for pollution control, for centuries. In some major agriculture regions, such as Northeastern China, it is now recognized that wetlands are indispensable to water security, biodiversity, and regional environment. Efforts are being made to recover some natural wetlands from illegal crop fields. An increasing number of constructed wetlands are being built to treat various types of wastewaters and, somewhat, compensate for diminished natural wetland functions.

This Special Issue aims to present the latest research in the use of natural and constructed wetlands in agricultural drainage management. Papers may report: (1) the efficiency of constructed wetlands to remove various pollutants from agricultural drainages; (2) innovative management of drainage waters for the restoration of degraded wetlands and/or protection of water environment; (3) models relevant to agricultural water discharge to wetlands; and (4) the fates of agricultural pollutants in the wetlands.

Assoc. Prof. Guangzhi Sun
Guest Editor

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Keywords

agricultural runoff
constructed wetland
water pollution control
wetland restoration

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 8121 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of an Integrated Modelling System for Evaluating Water Quantity and Quality Effects of Individual Wetlands in an Agricultural Watershed

by Yongbo Liu, Wanhong Yang, Hui Shao, Zhiqiang Yu and John Lindsay

Water 2018, 10(6), 774; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10060774 - 13 Jun 2018

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6446

Abstract

A GIS-based fully-distributed model, IMWEBs-Wetland (Integrated Modelling for Watershed Evaluation of BMPs—Wetland), is developed to simulate hydrologic processes of site-specific wetlands in an agricultural watershed. This model, powered by the open-source GIS Whitebox Geospatial Analysis Tools (GAT) and advanced database technologies, allows users to simulate and assess water quantity and quality effects of individual wetlands at site and watershed scales. A case study of the modelling system is conducted in a subbasin of the Broughton’s Creek Watershed in southern Manitoba of Canada. Modelling results show that the model is capable of simulating wetland processes in a complex watershed with various land management practices. The IMWEBs-Wetland model is unique in simulating the water quantity and quality effects of individual wetlands, which can be used to examine location-specific targeting of wetland retention and restoration at a watershed scale. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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16 pages, 1914 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Monitoring of a Surface Flow Constructed Wetland Treating Agricultural Drainage Water in Northern Italy

by Stevo Lavrnić, Ilaria Braschi, Stefano Anconelli, Sonia Blasioli, Domenico Solimando, Paolo Mannini and Attilio Toscano

Water 2018, 10(5), 644; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10050644 - 16 May 2018

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5173

Abstract

Agricultural drainage water that has seeped into tile drainage systems can cause nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the surface water bodies. Constructed wetlands (CWs) can help mitigate the effects of agricultural non-point sources of pollution and remove different pollutants from tile drainage water. In this study, hydrological and water quality data of a Northern Italian CW that has been treating agricultural drainage water since 2000 were considered to assess its ability to mitigate nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. The effects of such long-term operation on the nutrients and heavy metals that eventually accumulate in CW plants and sediments were also analysed. Since 2003, the CW has received different inflows with different nutrient loads due to several operation modes. However, on average, the outflow load has been 50% lower than the inflow one; thus, it can be said that the system has proved itself to be a viable option for tile drainage water treatment. It was found that the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in the plant tissues varied, whereas the nitrogen content of the soil increased more than 2.5 times. Heavy metals were found accumulated in the plant root systems and uniformly distributed throughout a 60 cm soil profile at levels suitable for private and public green areas, according to the Italian law Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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10 pages, 1246 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of a Field Tidal Flow Constructed Wetland in Treatment of Swine Wastewater: Life Cycle Approach

by Tong Wang, Ranbin Liu, Kate O’Meara, Emmet Mullan and Yaqian Zhao

Water 2018, 10(5), 573; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10050573 - 28 Apr 2018

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5065

Abstract

The spreading of livestock wastewater onto the grassland poses the inevitable risk of pollutants into the surface water or ground water, causing adverse environmental problems. Although the constructed wetlands (CWs) represent a cost-effective treatment system, they fail to achieve satisfactory total nitrogen (TN) removal performance. Dewatered alum sludge (DAS) based CW with tidal flow operation strategy is set up to intensify the TN removal efficiency by creating alternating aerobic and anoxic conditions, which relies on the water pumps instead of air pumps. In the present study, the environmental performance of a four-stage field tidal flow CW system treating swine wastewater was evaluated based on the life cycle assessment (LCA). The contribution of each process in LCA was clarified and compared whereby the potential improvement was indicated for further application. The results showed that the electricity almost dominated all the environmental impact categories while the water pumps (used for creating tidal flow) were the dominant electricity consumer. Moreover, the mitigation effect of vegetation by uptaking CO₂ was relatively marginal. Overall, compared with conventional CWs, the tidal flow CW brought about more adverse impact to the environment although the tidal flow could achieve better treatment efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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12 pages, 9478 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Corn Straw as a Solid Carbon Source for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water in Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands

by Yuanyuan Li, Sen Wang, Yue Li, Fanlong Kong, Houye Xi and Yanan Liu

Water 2018, 10(4), 511; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10040511 - 20 Apr 2018

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4206

Abstract

Agricultural drainage water with a low C/N ratio restricts the nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies of constructed wetlands. Thus, there is a need to add external carbon sources to drive the nitrogen and phosphorus removal. In this study, the effects of the addition of corn straw pretreated with different methods (acid treatment, alkali treatment, and comminution) on treating agricultural drainage water with a low C/N ratio were investigated in constructed wetlands. The results showed that soaking the corn straw in an alkaline solution was the most suitable pretreatment method according to the release rule of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the dissolution of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). The average removal efficiency of TN and TP in constructed wetlands increased respectively by 37.2% and 30.5% after adding corn straw, and by 17.1% and 11.7% after adding sodium acetate when the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 3 days. As an external carbon source, straw was cheap, renewable, and available. In contrast, the sodium acetate demanded high costs in a long-term operation. Therefore, corn straw had a great advantage in treatment effect and cost, which improved the treatment efficiency of agricultural drainage water using a byproduct of agricultural production as a slow-release carbon source. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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13 pages, 4225 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nitrate Attenuation in Degraded Peat Soil-Based Constructed Wetlands

by Christian Kleimeier, Haojie Liu, Fereidoun Rezanezhad and Bernd Lennartz

Water 2018, 10(4), 355; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10040355 - 22 Mar 2018

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5069

Abstract

Constructed wetlands (CWs) provide favorable conditions for removing nitrate from polluted agricultural runoff via heterotrophic denitrification. Although the general operability of CWs has been shown in previous studies, the suitability of peat soils as a bed medium for a vertical flow through a system for nitrate attenuation has not been proven to date. In this study, a mesocosm experiment was conducted under continuous flow with conditions aiming to quantify nitrate (NO₃⁻) removal efficiency in degraded peat soils. Input solution of NO₃⁻ was supplied at three different concentrations (65, 100, and 150 mg/L). Pore water samples were collected at different depths and analyzed for NO₃⁻, pH, and dissolved N₂O concentrations. The redox potential (Eh) was registered at different depths. The results showed that the median NO₃-N removal rate was 1.20 g/(m²·day) and the median removal efficiency was calculated as 63.5%. The nitrate removal efficiency was affected by the NO₃⁻ supply load, flow rate, and environmental boundary conditions. A higher NO₃⁻ removal efficiency was observed at an input NO₃⁻ concentration of 100 mg/L, a lower flow rate, and higher temperature. The results of pore water pH and NO₃⁻ and N₂O levels from the bottom of the mesocosm suggest that N₂ is the dominant denitrification product. Thus, degraded peat soils showed the potential to serve as a substrate for the clean-up of nitrate-laden agricultural runoff. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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12 pages, 8014 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applicability of Constructed Wetlands for Water Quality Improvement in a Tea Estate Catchment: The Pussellawa Case Study

by G. M. P. R. Weerakoon, K. B. S. N. Jinadasa, G. B. B. Herath, M. I. M. Mowjood and W. J. Ng

Water 2018, 10(3), 332; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10030332 - 16 Mar 2018

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5061

Abstract

Water in agricultural catchments is prone to pollution from agricultural runoff containing nutrients and pesticides, and contamination from the human population working and residing therein. This study examined the quality of water in a drainage stream which runs through a congested network of ‘line houses’ (low-income housing, typically found arranged in straight ‘lines’ on estates) in the tea estate catchment area of Pussellawa in central Sri Lanka. The study evaluated the applicability of vertical subsurface flow (VSSF) and horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) constructed wetlands for water polishing, as the residents use the stream water for various domestic purposes with no treatment other than possibly boiling. Water flow in the stream can vary significantly over time, and so investigations were conducted at various flow conditions to identify the hydraulic loading rate (HLR) bandwidth for wetland polishing applications. Two wetland models of 8 m × 1 m × 0.6 m (length × width × depth) were constructed and arranged as VSSF and HSSF units. Stream water was diverted to these units at HLRs of 3.3, 4, 5, 10, 20, and 40 cm/day. Results showed that both VSSF and HSSF wetland units were capable of substantially reducing five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), total suspended solids (TSS), fecal coliform (FC), total coliform (TC), ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) up to 20 cm/day HLR, with removal efficiencies of more than 64%, 60%, 90%, 93%, 70%, and 59% for BOD₅, TSS, FC, TC, NH₄⁺-N, and NO₃⁻-N, respectively, in the VSSF wetland unit; and more than 66%, 62%, 91%, 90%, 53%, and 77% for BOD₅, TSS, FC, TC, NH₄⁺-N, and NO₃⁻-N, respectively, in the HSSF wetland unit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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17 pages, 4720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effectiveness of a Natural Headwater Wetland for Reducing Agricultural Nitrogen Loads

by Evelyn Uuemaa, Chris C. Palliser, Andrew O. Hughes and Chris C. Tanner

Water 2018, 10(3), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10030287 - 08 Mar 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4412

Abstract

Natural wetlands can play a key role in controlling non-point source pollution, but quantifying their capacity to reduce contaminant loads is often challenging due to diffuse and variable inflows. The nitrogen removal performance of a small natural headwater wetland in a pastoral agricultural catchment in Waikato, New Zealand was assessed over a two-year period (2011–2013). Flow and water quality samples were collected at the wetland upper and lower locations, and piezometers sampled inside and outside the wetland. A simple dynamic model operating on an hourly time step was used to assess wetland removal performance for key N species. Hourly measurements of inflow, outflow, rainfall and Penman-Monteith evapotranspiration estimates were used to calculate dynamic water balance for the wetland. A dynamic N mass balance was calculated for each N component by coupling influent concentrations to the dynamic water balance and applying a first order areal removal coefficient (k₂₀) adjusted to the ambient temperature. Flow and water quality monitoring showed that wetland was mainly groundwater fed. The concentrations of oxidised nitrogen (NO_x-N, Total Organic Nitrogen (TON) and Total-N (TN) were lower at the outlet of the wetland regardless of flow conditions or seasonality, even during winter storms. The model estimation showed that the wetland could reduce net NO_x-N, NH₄-N, TON and TN loads by 76%, 73%, 26% and 57%, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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8 pages, 725 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Aeration, Vegetation, and Iron Input on Total P Removal in a Lacustrine Wetland Receiving Agricultural Drainage

by Yuanchun Zou, Linlin Zhang, Luying Wang, Sijian Zhang and Xiaofei Yu

Water 2018, 10(1), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10010061 - 11 Jan 2018

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3926

Abstract

Utilizing natural wetlands to remove phosphorus (P) from agricultural drainage is a feasible approach of protecting receiving waterways from eutrophication. However, few studies have been carried out about how these wetlands, which act as buffer zones of pollutant sinks, can be operated to achieve optimal pollutant removal and cost efficiency. In this study, cores of sediments and water were collected from a lacustrine wetland of Lake Xiaoxingkai region in Northeastern China, to produce a number of lab-scale wetland columns. Ex situ experiments, in a controlled environment, were conducted to study the effects of aeration, vegetation, and iron (Fe) input on the removal of total P (TP) and values of dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH of the water in these columns. The results demonstrated the links between Fe, P and DO levels. The planting of Glyceria spiculosa in the wetland columns was found to increase DO and pH values, whereas the Fe:P ratio was found to inversely correlate to the pH values. The TP removal was the highest in aerobic and planted columns. The pattern of temporal variation of TP removals matched first-order exponential growth model, except for under aerobic condition and with Fe:P ratio of 10:1. It was concluded that Fe introduced into a wetland by either surface runoff or agricultural drainage is beneficial for TP removal from the overlying water, especially during the growth season of wetland vegetation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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17 pages, 4882 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance of Iron Plaque of Wetland Plants for Regulating Iron, Manganese, and Phosphorus from Agricultural Drainage Water

by Xueying Jia, Marinus L. Otte, Ying Liu, Lei Qin, Xue Tian, Xianguo Lu, Ming Jiang and Yuanchun Zou

Water 2018, 10(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10010042 - 08 Jan 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5238

Abstract

Agricultural drainage water continues to impact watersheds and their receiving water bodies. One approach to mitigate this problem is to use surrounding natural wetlands. Our objectives were to determine the effect of iron (Fe)-rich groundwater on phosphorus (P) removal and nutrient absorption by the utilization of the iron plaque on the root surface of Glyceria spiculosa (Fr. Schmidt.) Rosh. The experiment was comprised of two main factors with three regimes: Fe²⁺ (0, 1, 20, 100, 500 mg·L⁻¹) and P (0.01, 0.1, 0.5 mg·L⁻¹). The deposition and structure of iron plaque was examined through a scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer. Iron could, however, also impose toxic effects on the biota. We therefore provide the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on iron plaques, showing the essential elements were iron (Fe), oxygen (O), aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), P, and sulphur (S). Results showed that (1) Iron plaque increased with increasing Fe²⁺ supply, and P-deficiency promoted its formation; (2) Depending on the amount of iron plaque on roots, nutrient uptake was enhanced at low levels, but at higher levels, it inhibited element accumulation and translocation; (3) The absorption of manganese was particularly affected by iron plague, which also enhanced phosphorus uptake until the external iron concentration exceeded 100 mg·L⁻¹. Therefore, the presence of iron plaque on the root surface would increase the uptake of P, which depends on the concentration of iron-rich groundwater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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15 pages, 1632 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study on the Potential Use of Bundled Crop Straws as Subsurface Drainage Material in the Newly Reclaimed Coastal Land in Eastern China

by Peirong Lu, Zhanyu Zhang, Genxiang Feng, Mingyi Huang and Xufan Shi

Water 2018, 10(1), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10010031 - 02 Jan 2018

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4999

Abstract

Initial land reclamation of the saline soils often requires higher drainage intensity for quick leaching of salts from the soil profile; however, drainage pipes placed at closer spacing may result in higher cost. Seeking an inexpensive degradable organic subsurface drainage material may satisfy such needs of initial drainage, low investment and a heathy soil environment. Crop straws are porous organic materials that have certain strength and endurance. In this research, we explored the potential of using bundled maize stalks and rice straws as subsurface drainage material in place of plastic pipes. Through an experimental study in large lysimeters that were filled with saline coastal soil and planted with maize, we examined the drainage performance of the two organic materials by comparing with the conventional plastic drainage pipes; soil moisture distribution, soil salinity changed with depth, and the crop information were monitored in the lysimeters during the maize growing period. The results showed that maize stalk drainage and the rice straw drainage were significantly (p < 0.05) more efficient in removing salt and water from the crop root zone than the plastic drainage pipes; they excelled in drainage rate, leaching fraction, and lowering water table; and their efficient drainage processes lowered salt stress in the crop root zone and resulted in a slightly higher level of biomass. The experimental results suggest that crop straws may be used as a good organic substitute for the plastic drainage pipes in the initial stage land reclamation of the saline coastal soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands for the Treatment of Agricultural Drainage Water)

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