An experimental use of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) to reduce phytoplankton growth in freshwaters
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Electronic versions
Documents
- FTW_EE_Manuscript_v2
Accepted author manuscript, 327 KB, PDF document
Other documents
- FTW_EE_Figures_v2
485 KB, PDF document
Eutrophication and the formation of phytoplankton blooms in freshwaters can be detrimental to water quality and biological health and produce organic matter that can be difficult to remove during water treatment processes. With the frequency of phytoplankton blooms increasing, remediation solutions are becoming increasingly popular. This study investigated the use of a peat-based floating treatment wetland (FTW) for reducing phytoplankton growth in eutrophic waters. Over a four-week period, the FTWs were able to reduce chlorophyll a concentrations by 80%, through sequestration of nitrate and phosphate and possibly due to the direct inhibitory properties of phenolic compounds. Although there are concerns about the leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from the FTWs, this may be more than offset by the beneficial suppression of phytoplankton growth and the resulting reduced input of ‘untreatable’ low molecular weight DOC.
Keywords
- Phytoplankton, Chlorophyll, Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC), Eutrophication, Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs), Nitrate, Phosphate, Phragmites australis
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 316-323 |
Journal | Ecological Engineering |
Volume | 99 |
Early online date | 23 Nov 2016 |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2017 |
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