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Nitrogen reduction in a eutrophic river canal using bioactive multilayer capping (BMC) with biozeolite and sand

  • SEDIMENTS, SEC 5 • SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT • RESEARCH ARTICLE
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Abstract

Purpose

Nitrogen reduction in a eutrophic river canal using bioactive multilayer capping (BMC) with biozeolite and sand was examined through laboratory incubation experiments over 121 days.

Materials and methods

Biofilm formation on zeolite was cultivated by a mixed culture containing isolated heterotrophic nitrifiers (Bacillus sp.) and aerobic denitrifiers (Acinetobacter sp.). Two combination methods of biozeolite and sand (with two grain sizes) were used in the experiments: combination I had biozeolite on top of sand, while combination II had sand on top of biozeolite.

Results and discussion

BMC not only completely inhibited ammonium release from sediment but also reduced total nitrogen (TN) in the overlying water and sediment. On day 24, the reduction efficiencies of TN in overlying water by BMC were 60–82 %. After day 24, the long-term effectiveness of nitrogen reduction by BMC using combination II was found to be significantly better than that using combination I. Fine sand used for BMC was found to be superior to coarse sand in nitrogen reduction. Fine sand on the upper layer could strengthen biological denitrification of the biozeolite layer. The optimal BMC could reduce the amount of biozeolite and thus the costs of the technique. The TN reduction efficiency of sediment by the optimal BMC was up to 13 %.

Conclusions

BMC with biozeolite under the fine sand was found to be a feasible technique to reduce N in a eutrophic river canal.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the program of International S & T Cooperation (grant no. 2010 DFA 94550), the National Natural Science Fund of China (grant no. 50830303), National Science and Technology Pillar Program (grant no. 2012BAC04B02), Shaanxi Provincial Science & Technology Innovative Project (grant no. 2011KTCG03-07), and Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (grant no. IRT0853).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture & Technology, Xi’an, 710055, People’s Republic of China

    Tinglin Huang, Zhenming Zhou, Junfeng Su, Yuhua Dong & Gai Wang

  2. College of Civil Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, People’s Republic of China

    Zhenming Zhou

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  1. Tinglin Huang
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  2. Zhenming Zhou
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  3. Junfeng Su
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  4. Yuhua Dong
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  5. Gai Wang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tinglin Huang.

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Responsible editor: Gijs D. Breedveld

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Huang, T., Zhou, Z., Su, J. et al. Nitrogen reduction in a eutrophic river canal using bioactive multilayer capping (BMC) with biozeolite and sand. J Soils Sediments 13, 1309–1317 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-013-0703-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-013-0703-5

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