Potential of joyweed Alternanthera sessilis for rapid treatment of domestic sewage in SHEFROL® bioreactor

In a first-ever report on this subject, it is shown that a common amphibious plant joyweed (Alternanthera sessilis) can be used in rapid and efficient treatment of biodegradable wastewaters, typified by domestic sewage. The plant was effective when used indoors under artificial lighting, as well as outdoors. It enabled treatment of sewage, varying widely in strength (from 300?mg/L to 1800?mg/L in chemical oxygen demand), to the extent of 78.9–83.9%. It was also able to remove biological oxygen demand, suspended solids, phosphorous, nitrogen, and the heavy metal copper to the extent of 87%, 93%, 45%, and 43%, respectively. Over 99% of total coliforms, faecal coliforms, and faecal streptococci were also removed. The treatment was very swiftly achieved, at a hydraulic retention time of just 6?h, in the “sheet flow root level” (SHEFROL^®) bioreactor developed earlier by us and of which a patent claim has been registered. The findings indicate that A. sessilis has the potential to affect primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment of domestic sewage along with significant pathogen removal in a single process step when used in SHEFROL^® bioreactors.     

退化设施蔬菜地修复过程中土壤可溶性有机碳与无机氮动态

土壤强还原处理(reductive soil disinfestation,RSD)可以有效修复退化设施蔬菜地土壤,但实施过程中亦会存在可溶性有机碳(DOC)与无机氮(NO3--N和NH4+-N)的淋溶风险。本研究选用水稻秸秆及其制备的生物质炭(biochar,BC)作为修复材料,采用BC、RSD以及RSD+BC三种方法修复退化蔬菜地土壤,探究修复过程中土壤基本性质、DOC与无机氮的动态变化。结果表明,与对照土壤相比,BC处理显著提高了土壤pH、EC和DOC含量(P<0.05),但对土壤NO3--N和NH4+-N无显著影响。对于RSD和RSD+BC处理,土壤NO3--N含量在1~3 d内快速下降,之后维持在较低水平;土壤DOC含量呈先上升后下降趋势,在整个培养时段均显著高于对照处理(P<0.05)。方差分析表明,BC与RSD处理对土壤DOC、全碳(TC)、全氮(TN)和C/N存在交互作用。可见,RSD和RSD+BC处理能有效去除NO3--N,但DOC含量大幅度增加,存在淋溶风险。