Plants boost pyrrhotite-driven nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands

Pyrrhotite is a promising electron donor for autotrophic denitrification. Using pyrrhotite as the substrate in constructed wetlands (CWs) can enhance the nitrogen removal performance in carbon-limited wastewater treatment. However, the role of plants in pyrrhotite-integrated CW is under debate as the oxygen released from plant roots may destroy the anoxic condition for autotrophic denitrification. This study compared pyrrhotite-integrated CWs with and without plants and identified the effects of plants' presence in nitrogen removal, pyrrhotite oxidized dissolution, and microbial community. The results show that plants enhanced the TN removal significantly (from 41.6 ± 3.9 % to 97.1 ± 2.6 %). Plants can accelerate the PAD in CW through the strengthening of pyrrhotite dissolution. Enriched functional (Thiobacillus and Acidiferrobacter) and a more complex bacterial co-occurrence network has been found in CW with plants. This study identified the role of plants in PAD acceleration, providing an in-depth understanding of pyrrhotite in CW systems.