Removal of heavy metals from agricultural runoff using constructed wetland; traces pollutants in reed bed sediments and plant biomass

Bahman Yargholi1, Saloome Sepehri1, Elahe Kanani2
1Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AERI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
2Department of Water Sciences and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

Tóm tắt

This study aimed to determine the concentrations of hazardous heavy metals in the Naseri Wetland of southern Khuzestan province and to investigate constructed wetlands for the treatment of agricultural runoffs. In this regard, the length of the constructed wetlands was divided into three equal segments (3.5 km in length, 1.2 km in width, and 0.5 m in depth) and the beginning of each segment was considered a sampling station as ST1, ST2, and ST3. The concentrations of major heavy metals such as Hg, Pb, Cr, Cd, and As were monitored at different stations over a period of 1 year (2020–2021). The results showed a direct correlation between pollutant concentrations in the wetland bottom sediments and those in the agricultural runoff. ST3 had the highest removal efficiency (RE%) of heavy metals compared to ST1 and ST2 (RE = 100% for all heavy metals examined). The meaning of 100% efficiency and zero concentration is that the pollutant concentration was so low that it was undetectable. In contrast, ST1, the closest station to the entry point, had the lowest RE with averages 29.99, 13.34, 21.24, 34.23, and 24.80% for Hg, Pb, Cr, Cd, and As, respectively. As a result, this system has been successful in bringing the quality of agricultural runoff to the desired standard for discharge into the environment and for agricultural purposes. Overall, in Khuzestan and other regions with similar climates, the development of constructed wetland as an environmentally friendly technology could represent a practical strategy for reclaiming agricultural runoff, although their design and operation need to be well-engineered.

Tài liệu tham khảo

Adrees M, Ali S, Rizwan M, Zia-Ur-Rehman M, Ibrahim M, Abbas F, Farid M, Qayyum MF, Irshad MK (2015) Mechanisms of silicon-mediated alleviation of heavy metal toxicity in plants: a review. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 119:186–197 Anton JM, Romero AG, Cuquerella JM, Pastor JV, Villanueva VO (2020) Alternative use of rice straw ash as natural fertilizer to reduce phosphorus pollution in protected wetland ecosystems. Int J Recycl Org Waste Agric 9:61–74 Baird RB (2017) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 23rd. Water Environment Federation, American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, Virginia Bakhshoodeh R, Alavi N, Paydary P (2017) Composting plant leachate treatment by a pilot-scale, three-stage, horizontal flow constructed wetland in central Iran. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24:23803–23814 Bakhshoodeh R, Alavi N, Oldham C, Santos RM, Babaei AA, Vymazal J, Paydary P (2020) Constructed wetlands for landfill leachate treatment: a review. Ecol Eng 146:1–11 Bonanno G (2011) Trace element accumulation and distribution in the organs of Phragmites australis (common Reed) and biomonitoring applications. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 74(4):1057–1064 Darajeh N, Idris A, Masoumi HR, Nourani A, Truong P, Sairi NA (2016) Modeling BOD and COD removal from palm oil mill secondary effluent in floating wetland by Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) using response surface methodology. J Environ Manage 181:343–352 Ebrahimi A, Taheri E, Ehrampoush MH, Nasiri S, Jalali F, Soltani R, Fatehizadeh A (2013) Efficiency of constructed wetland vegetated with Cyperus alternifolius applied for municipal wastewater treatment. J Environ Public Health 2013:1–6 Ellis JB, Shutes RBE, Revitt DM (2003) Guidance manual for constructed wetlands. Environment Agency, Bristol Esmaeilzadeh M, Karbassi A, Moattar F (2016) Heavy metals in sediments and their bioaccumulation in Phragmites australis in the Anzali wetland of Iran. Chin J Oceanol Limnol 34:810–820 Ganjali S, Tayebi L, Atabati H, Mortazavi S (2014) Phragmites australis as a heavy metal bioindicator in the Anzali wetland of Iran. Toxicol Environ Chem 96(9):1428–1434. https://doi.org/10.1080/02772248.2014.942310 Gholipour A, Zahabi H, Stefanakis AI (2020) A novel pilot and full-scale constructed wetland study for glass industry wastewater treatment. Chemosphere 247:125966 Gholizadeh A, Gholami M, Davoudi R, Rastegar Miri M (2015) Efficiency and kinetic modeling of removal of nutrients and organic matter from a full-scale constructed wetland in Qasre-Shirin. Iran Environ Health Eng Manag 2(3):107–116 Guerrero J, Mahmoud A, Alam T, Chowdhury MA, Adetayo A, Ernest A, Jones KD (2020) Water quality improvement and pollutant removal by two regional detention facilities with constructed wetlands in south Texas. Sustainability 12(7), 2844. Hosseini Alhashemi AS, Karbassi AR, Hassanzadeh Kiabi B, Monavari SM, Nabavi SMB, Sekhavatjou MS (2011) Bioaccumulation of trace elements in trophic levels of wetland plants and waterfowl birds. Biol Trace Elem Res 142(3):500–516 Jiang X, Wang W, Wang S, Zhang B, Hu J (2012) Initial identification of heavy metals contamination in Taihu Lake, a eutrophic lake in China. J Environ Sci 24:1539–1548 Kalipci E (2011) Investigation of decontamination effect of Phragmites australis for Konya domestic wastewater treatment. J Med Plant Res 5(29):6571–6577 Land M, Granéli W, Grimvall A, Hoffmann CC, Mitsch WJ, Tonderski KS, Verhoeven JTA (2016) How effective are created or restored freshwater wetlands for nitrogen and phosphorus removal? A Systematic Review Environ Evid 5(1):1–26 Li L, Feng J, Zhang Yin H, Fan C, Wang Z, Zhao M, Ge C, Song H (2021) Enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal by natural pyrite–based constructed wetland with intermittent aeration. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28(48):69012–69028 Maktoof AA (2020) Use of two plants to remove pollutants in wastewater in constructed wetlands in southern Iraq. Egypt J Aquat Res 46(3):227–233 Marzec M, Jóźwiakowski K, Dębska A, Gizińska-Górna M, Pytka-Woszczyło A, Kowalczyk-Juśko A, Listosz A (2018) The efficiency and reliability of pollutant removal in a hybrid constructed wetland with common reed, manna grass, and Virginia mallow. Water 10(10):1445 Miloskovic A, Simic V (2015) Arsenic and other trace elements in five edible fish species in relation to fish size and weight and potential health risks for human consumption. Pol J Environ Stud 24(1):199–206 Mohd-Said NS, Sheikh-Abdullah SR, Ismail NI, Hasan HA, Othaman AR (2020) Phytoremediation of real coffee industry effluent through a continuous two-stage constructed wetland system. Environ Technol Innov 17:1–19 Odinga CA, Swalaha FM, Otieno FAO, Ranjith KR, Bux F (2013) Investigating the efficiency of constructed wetlands in the removal of heavy metals and enteric pathogens from wastewater. Environ Technol Rev 2(1):1–16 Qin D, Jiang H, Bai S, Tang S, Mou Z (2015) Determination of 28 trace elements in three farmed cyprinid fish species from Northeast China. Food Control 50:1–8 Tsakovski S, Kudlak B, Simeonov V, Wolska GG, Namiesnik J (2012) Relationship between heavy metal distribution in sediment samples and their ecotoxicity by the use of the Hasse diagram technique. Anal Chim Acta 719:16–23 Vrhovnik P, Arrebola JP, Serafimovski T, Dolenec T, Smuc NR, Dolenec M, Mutch E (2013) Potentially toxic contamination of sediments, water and two animal species in Lake Kalimanci, FYR Macedonia: relevance to human health. Environ Pollut 180:92–100 Yargholi B, Kanani E, Sepehri S (2022) Performance evaluation of natural reed bed in removal of organic matter and phosphorus compounds from khuzestan sugarcane fields drainage water. Irrig Drain Struct Eng Res 23(86):1–18 ((In Persian))