Characteristics and mechanisms of phosphine production in sulfur-based constructed wetlands

Phosphine (PH3) is an important contributor to the phosphorus cycle and is widespread in various environments. However, there are few studies on PH3 in constructed wetlands (CWs). In this study, lab-scale CWs and batch experiments were conducted to explore the characteristics and mechanisms of PH3 production in sulfur-based CWs. The results showed that the PH3 release flux of sulfur-based CWs varied from 0.86±0.04 ng·m−2·h−1 to 1.88±0.09 ng·m−2·h−1. The dissolved PH3 was the main PH3 form in CWs and varied from 2.73 μg·L−1 to 4.08 μg·L−1. The matrix-bound PH3 was a staging reservoir for PH3 and increased with substrate depth. In addition, the sulfur-based substrates had a significant improvement on PH3 production. Elemental sulfur is more conducive to PH3 production than pyrite. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between PH3 production, the dsrB gene, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). NADH might catalyze the phosphate reduction process. And the final stage of the dissimilatory sulfate reduction pathway driven by the dsrB gene might also provide energy for phosphate reduction. The migration and transformation of PH3 increased the available P (Resin-P and NaHCO3-P) from 35% to 56% in sulfur-based CW, and the P adsorption capacity was improved by 12%. The higher proportion of available P increased the plant uptake rate of P by 17%. This study improves the understanding of the phosphorus cycle in sulfur-based CW and provides new insight into the long-term stable operation of CWs.