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Use of Shallow Reservoir and Flooded Organic Soil Systems for Waste Water Treatment: Nitrogen and Phosphorus Transformations
Author(s) -
Reddy K. R.,
Graetz D. A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1981.00472425001000010025x
Subject(s) - nitrification , water column , volatilisation , anoxic waters , environmental chemistry , aeration , chemistry , loam , effluent , phosphorus , soil water , environmental science , nitrate , ammonia volatilization from urea , nitrogen , environmental engineering , soil science , geology , oceanography , organic chemistry
Use of a shallow reservoir (with a marly clay loam bottom) and flooded organic soil (Histosol) for inorganic N and PO 4 ‐P removal from waste water (agricultural drainage effluent) was evaluated under simulated conditions. The results show that the shallow reservoirs and flooded organic soils could be effectively used for NH 4 ‐N and NO 3 ‐N removal from the waste waters. Aerating the floodwater resulted in rapid removal of NH 4 ‐N as a result of nitrification and NH 3 volatilization. Creating an anaerobic condition in the water column resulted in slower removal of NH 4 ‐N due to volatilization. Nitrate N removal was more rapid under anoxic water column conditions than with aerobic water column conditions. Rapid nitrification resulted in the initial increase in NO 3 ‐N levels in the water column. Aerating the water column with CO 2 free air resulted in rapid losses of NH 4 ‐N through volatilization. Aerating the water column with the air containing CO 2 resulted in a greater loss of NH 4 ‐N through nitrification than volatilization. A shorter residence time (1–6 days) of waste water over a soil column was required for effective removal of NH 4 ‐N, and a longer residence time of 12–24 days was required for effective removal of NO 3 ‐N from the water. For reservoir soil, about 70 and 76% of the floodwater P was removed under aerobic and anaerobic water column conditions, respectively. For flooded organic soil, 51% of the aerobic floodwater P was removed after 2 days of incubation, followed by an increase in soluble P concentration of the overlying water, whereas about 64% of the anaerobic floodwater P was removed during a 29‐day incubation.