Enhanced arsenic removals through plant interactions in subsurface-flow constructed wetlands

Abstract

Arsenic (As) removal in pilot-scale subsurface-flow constructed wetlands (CWs) was investigated by comparing between CW units with vetiver grasses (CWplanted) and CW units without vetiver grasses (CWunplanted) in order to determine the roles of vetiver grasses affecting As removal. Based on the data obtained from 147 days of experiment, it is apparent that CWplanted units could remove As significantly higher than those of CWunplanted units with approximately 7–14%. Although analysis of As mass balance in CW units revealed that only 0.5–1.0% of total As was found in vetiver grasses, the As retained within bed of the CWplanted units (23.6–29.7 g) was higher than those in the CWunplanted units (21.3–26.8 g) at the end of the experiment, illustrating the effect of vetiver grasses on As accumulation in the CW units. Determination of As in different fractions in the CW bed suggested that the main mechanism of As retention was due mainly to As entrapment into the porous of bed materials (50–57% of total fraction), this mechanism is likely not affected by the presence of vetiver grasses. However, fraction of As-bound in organic matters that could be released from plant roots decomposition indicated the increase adsorption capacity of CW bed. In addition, organic sulfides produced from their root decomposition could help remove As through the precipitation/co-precipitation process. Under reducing condition in those CWplanted units, As could be leached out in the form of iron and manganese-bound complexes.