Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6302575 | Ecological Engineering | 2013 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
River pollution is becoming a serious problem worldwide. A field-scale experiment was undertaken to remediate a heavily polluted river using a combined engineering approach of aeration, microorganisms, biological aerated filtration, artificial biofilms and ecological floating beds. Prior to remediation, the river water was black, anoxic and highly sulfidic. With remediation, the chemical oxygen demand decreased from â¼250 to â¼50 mg Lâ1, NH4+-N decreased from â¼27 to â¼4 mg Lâ1, sulfide decreased from â¼3 to â¼0.3 mg Lâ1, and total suspended solids decreased from â¼270 to â¼40 mg Lâ1. At the same time, dissolved oxygen increased from â¼0.1 to â¼3.5 mg Lâ1, and water clarity increased from â¼6 to â¼40 cm. Furthermore, the unpleasant odor emanating from the polluted river was also stopped, and local farmers have begun using the water for irrigation. This field-scale experiment thus indicates the potential usefulness of this combined engineering approach to remediate heavily polluted rivers.
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Authors
Yanqing Sheng, Yingxuan Qu, Chaofeng Ding, Qiyao Sun, Robert J.G. Mortimer,