Removal of nitrogen and phosphorus by aboveground biomass of Phragmites australis in Constructed Wetland System under the conditions of temperate continental climate

AbstractIn this paper, aboveground biomass and basic nutrients removal, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), was analyzed by the use of reed as the main component of Constructed Wetland System (CWS) “Gložan”. In almost ideal conditions of temperate continental climate, with favorable substrate humidity, due to the constant inflow of municipal wastewater, reed populations reach a high density, on average 217 ind/m2. The reed produces significant aboveground biomass, fresh weight (FW) of 144.21 g/plant and dry weight (DW) of 77.04 g/plant, with the largest share being per tree (87.49 g FW/plant, 48.17 g DW/plant), then leaf (49.45 g FW/plant, 24.89 g DW/plant) and the smallest inflorescence (7.27 g FW/plant, 3.99 g DW/plant). The results obtained in this way indicate that the largest amount of nitrogen was removed by leaves, then by stems and, the smallest by inflorescences, 181.07 g/m2, 97.73 g/m2, 23.41 g/m2, respectively. Thus, an average of 302.21 g/m2 of nitrogen was removed by the entire aboveground part of the reed. Also, the largest amount of phosphorus was removed by leaves, then by stems, and the smallest by inflorescences, 5.72 g/m2, 4.82 g/m2 and 2.57 g/m2, respectively, while the entire aboveground part of the reed is on average about 13.11 g/m2.NOVELTY STATEMENTThe contribution of this paper is reflected in the obtained results for population density, reed biomass, and reed efficiency in the process of accumulation and removal of nitrogen and phosphorus as the main factors of accelerated eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems, the recipients of municipal wastewater. These results are significant because there is not enough data concerning this topic in the temperate continental climate of Southeast Europe. In addition to this, Constructed Wetland System is the first system of this kind, developed in our country that has been functioning for past 18 years. Due to this, the results are encouraging the application of CWS for a large number of smaller settlements in Southeast Europe as well as in other similar areas. Also, the results obtained in this paper can be useful to all those who are committed to the environmental approach and are engaged in research related to the use of reed in the process of municipal wastewater treatment.Keywords: Constructed Wetland Systemsreednitrogenphosphoruseutrophication Correction StatementThis article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).