Risk assessment and binding mechanisms of potentially toxic metals in sediments from different water levels in a coastal wetland

The excessive accumulation of potentially toxic metals(Pb and Cd)in coastal wetlands is among the main factors threateningwetland ecosystems.However,the effects ofwater table depth(WTD)on the risk and binding mechanisms of potentially toxic metals in sediments remain unclear.Here,sediments from different WTD obtained from a typical coastal wetland were evaluated using a newly developed strategy based on chemical extraction methods coupled with high-resolution spectroscopy.Our findings indicated that the WTD of the coastal wetland fluctuates frequently and the average enrichment factor for Pb was categorized as minor,whereas Cd enrichment was categorized as moderate.High-resolution spectroscopy techniques also demonstrated that organic functional groups and partly inorganic compounds(e.g.,Fe-O/Si-O)played a vital role in the binding of Pb and Cd to surface sediments.Additionally,mineral components rather than organic groups were mainly bound to thesemetals in the bottom sediments.Collectively,our findings provide key insights into the potential health effects and binding characteristics of potentially toxic metals in sediments,as well as their dynamic behavior under varying sediment depths at a microscale.

Nitrogen mass balance in a constructed wetland treating piggery wastewater effluent

The nitrogen changes and the nitrogen mass balance in a free water surface flow constructed wetland （CW） using the four-year monitoring data from 2008 to 2012 were estimated. The CW was composed of six cells in series that include the first settling basin （Cell 1）, aeration pond （Cell 2）, deep marsh （Cell 3）, shallow marsh （Cell 4）, deep marsh （Cell 5） and final settling basin （Cell 6）. Analysis revealed that the NH4＋-N concentration decreased because of ammonification which was then followed by nitrification. The NO4＋-N and NO4＋-N were also further reduced by means of microbial activities and plant uptake during photosynthesis. The average nitrogen concentration at the influent was 37,819 kg/year and approximately 45% of that amount exited the CW in the effluent. The denitrification amounted to 34% of the net nitrogen input, whereas the accretion of sediment was only 7%. The biomass uptake of plants was able to retain only 1% of total nitrogen load. In order to improve the nutrient removal by plant uptake, plant coverage in four cells （i.e., Cells 1, 3, 4 and 5） could be increased.