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Effects of a Glucose‐imposed Oxygen Demand on Land Treatment Systems
Author(s) -
Coody Peter N.,
Sommers Lee E.,
Nelson Darrell W.
Publication year - 1986
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/jeq1986.00472425001500010005x
Subject(s) - chemical oxygen demand , phalaris arundinacea , chemistry , nutrient , biochemical oxygen demand , environmental chemistry , agronomy , oxygen , atmosphere (unit) , water column , nitrogen , wastewater , environmental science , environmental engineering , zoology , ecology , biology , wetland , physics , organic chemistry , thermodynamics
Laboratory experiments were conducted to quantify soil and crop interactions in a land treatment system receiving a glucose‐imposed oxygen demand. Synthetic wastewaters were prepared by dissolving sufficient glucose in a plant nutrient solution to provide four levels of chemical oxygen demand (COD). The solutions were applied to soil columns cropped to reed canarygrass ( Phalaris arundinacea L.) to provide a COD of 0 to 180 mmol O 2 column −1 week −1 . The columns received the glucose for 25 weeks and were monitored for the composition of the soil atmosphere, plant yields, water use, and COD removal. The added COD elevated CO 2 concentrations in the soil atmosphere to over 480 times atmospheric levels. This coincided with a depletion of O 2 in the soil atmosphere, where a minimum concentration of 0.3 mol O 2 m −3 was observed. Average plant yields ranged from 2.8 to 20.3 g column −1 and were inversely proportional to the COD added. Water use ranged from 11.4 to 26.9 cm column −1 week −1 and was directly related to the reduction in plant growth caused by the COD loading. Greater than 97% of the added COD was removed by the simulated land treatment system.