AUTHOR=Lin Yan , Lu Xingshun , Zhao Manping , Ding Xiaoyu , Lv Hang , Wang Lixin , Wu Linhui 

TITLE=The impact of external plant carbon sources on nitrogen removal and microbial community structure in vertical flow constructed wetlands

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1233422

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2023.1233422

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=The present study was developed to explore nitrogen removal performance and associated microbial mechanisms of action in vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) when using external carbon sources. These analyses ultimately revealed that alkali-soaked Phragmites australis (P. australis) could serve as an effective plant carbon source, exhibiting the lower levels of total nitrogen (TN) release and the highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) of all tested carbon sources. Nitrogen removal efficiency improved following the addition of plant carbon sources, and under carbon/nitrogen (C/N) rations of 2, 4, 5, and 7, the VFCW system was able to remove 43.69-75.76% TN, with the highest removal rate being observed at a C/N of 5.The abundance of denitrifying microorganisms such as Thiobaillus and Halomonas were also more enriched in VFCW1 than VFCW0, with stronger correlations in the