The influence of effluent addition on denitrification potential in the Thredbo Wetland was observed by comparing an area of the wetland receiving secondary treated effluent with another area receiving no effluent addition. Physico-chemical measurements (Eh, pH and temperature) of the soil were conducted in both sampling areas to characterise the denitrifying environment. Levels of nitrate plus nitrite and ammonium ion in the soil from 0-30cm depth were recorded on a seasonal basis to identify the role of effluent addition and vertical distribution of inorganic nitrogen species in controlling the distribution of denitrification potential in the soil. Denitrification potentials of soils and decaying plant material were evaluated by the acetylene blockage technique. This involved laboratory incubations under optimum conditions of pH, temperature, nitrate concentration, carbon supply, and diffusion. The influence of these physico-chemical factors on denitrification was also investigated. It was found that the effluent addition caused higher denitrification potential in soils and surface decaying plant material by raising soil temperature, lowering Eh, and increasing concentrations of nitrate plus nitrite and ammonium ions. The highest denitrification potential was recorded in the decaying plant material on the soil surface. The highest soil denitrification potential occurred in the 0-6cm depth segment. Carbon supply and pH had no influence on denitrification potential whilst low temperature (5ºC), and restricted diffusion limited denitrification. In terms of tertiary water treatment denitrification in Thredbo Wetland makes a significant-contribution to the removal of nitrogen year-round. However, total nitrogen removal could be increased by increasing the residence time of water in the wetland thereby encouraging greater spatial and temporal interaction between the denitrifiers and the wastewater nitrogen.

The ecology of mosquito populations in relation to weather conditions, emergent plants and predation in an urban wetland of Canberra was studied. Anopheles annulipes, Aedes notoscriptus, Aedes australicus, Aedes alboannulata, Culex annulirostris and Culex quinquefasciatus were found. Temperature was a major climatic factor in determining the abundance of mosquito populations in the wetland. First collections and subsequent development of mosquitoes in Ginninderra wetland are likely to depend on local weather conditions each year. The wetland proper was not a suitable habitat for mosquito breeding. Tall emergent vegetation may have obstructed oviposition and predation was also important in limiting colonization by mosquitoes. Instead, isolated temporary waterbodies which were free of predators, such as ground depressions, tyre tracks, domestic waste containers, were the most important habitats for mosquitoes adjacent to the Ginninderra wetland. Field experiments found that predation of mosquito larvae by mosquitofish Gambusia qffinis and notonectids Anisops was more efficient in sunlight than shade and this was affected by the height of emergent plants.

Bibliography : leaves [34]-[40]

<p>Mine tailings can be rich in sulphide minerals and may form acid mine drainage (AMD) through reaction with atmospheric oxygen and water. AMD contains elevated levels of metals and arsenic (As) that could be harmful to animals and plants. An oxygen-consuming layer of organic material and plants on top of water-covered tailings would probably reduce oxygen penetration into the tailings and thus reduce the formation of AMD. However, wetland plants have the ability to release oxygen through the roots and could thereby increase the solubility of metals and As. These elements are released into the drainage water, taken up and accumulated in the plant roots, or translocated to the shoots. </p><p>The aim was to examine the effects of plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings by answering following questions: A) Is plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings possible? B) What are the metal and As uptake and translocation properties of these plants? C) How do plants affect metal and As release from mine tailings, and which are the mechanisms involved?</p><p><i>Carex rostrata Stokes, Eriophorum angustifolium</i> Honck., <i>E. scheuchzeri</i> Hoppe, <i>Phragmites australis</i> (Cav.) Steud., <i>Salix phylicifolia</i> L. and <i>S. borealis</i> Fr. were used as test plants. Influences of plants on the release of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and in some cases Fe in the drainage water, and plant element uptake were studied in greenhouse experiments and in the field. </p><p>The results obtained demonstrate that plant establishment are possible on water-covered unweathered mine tailings, and a suitable amendment was found to be sewage sludge. On acidic, weathered tailings, a pH increasing substance such as ashes should be added to improve plant establishment. The metal and As concentrations of the plant tissue were found to be generally higher in roots than in shoots. The uptake was dependent on the metal and As concentrations of the tailings and the release of organic acids from plant roots may have influenced the uptake. The metal release from tailings into the drainage water caused by<i> E. angustifolium </i>was found to depend greatly on the age and chemical properties of the tailings. However, no effects of <i>E. angustifolium </i>on As release was found. Water from old sulphide-, metal- and As-rich tailings with low buffering capacity were positively affected by <i>E. angustifolium </i>by causing higher pH and lower metal concentrations. In tailings with relatively low sulphide, metal and As contents combined with a low buffering capacity, plants had the opposite impact, i.e. a reduction in pH and elevated metal levels of the drainage water. The total release of metal and As from the tailings, i.e. drainage water together with the contents in shoots and roots, was found to be similar for <i>C. rostrata</i>, <i>E. angustifolium </i>and <i>P. australis</i>, except for Fe and As, where the release was highest for <i>P. australis</i>. The differences in metal and As release from mine tailings were mainly found to be due to the release of O₂from the roots, which changes the redox potential. Release of organic acids from the roots slightly decreased the pH, although did not have any particular influence on the release of metal and As. </p><p>In conclusion, as shown here, phytostabilisation may be a successful technique for remediation of mine tailings with high element and sulphide levels, and low buffering capacity.</p>

<p>Two species of emergent macrophytes, Typha latifolia (common cattail) and Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) were evaluated as substrates for biogas production. The specific methane yield for each plant was obtained by batch wise anaerobic digestion in 300-mL bottles. Three different pretreatments were evaluated for increased biogas production; mechanical milling, alkaline treatment with lime and fungal degradation with Pleurotus ostreatus (oyseter mushroom).The methane yield for Typha latifolia and Phalaris arundinacea was determined to 300 and 323mL methane per g VS, respectively. There was no statistical difference in methane yield between the two species. Milling pretreatment increased the biogas yield with 16 % by average compared to untreated plant. Alkaline pretreatment with lime increased the biogas yield with 27 % at roomtemp. and 22 % at 55 °C. The fungal pretreatment decreased the biogas production by 20 % and is probably not suitable for this kind of substrate.The results showed that emergent macrophytes have a biogas yield similar to other plants already tested (grasses) and commonly used (pasture crops) in large scale reactors. However, emergent macrophytes and grasses cause mechanical problems in a reactor due to their structure. Probably some kind of milling must be done to decrease the fiber length of the emergent macrophytes. The costs for harvest, transport, handling and possible pretreatment of the emergent macrophytes have to be estimated and included in the overall cost calculations. This can tell if emergent macrophytes should be used as a substrate for biogas production.</p>

<p>The amount of various phosphorus (P) fractions in the sediment and the relationship between the amount of P and sediment particle size were investigated in a constructed wetland southwest of Linköping. Furthermore, the possible correlation between clay content in the sediment and distance from the inlet was investigated. Sediment samples were collected along three transects from the inlet to the outlet, with six samples in each transect. In order to measure the soluble P, an NH4Cl extraction was done. This was also analysed for total soluble P after oxidation with peroxodisulphate. The sediment was also analysed for total-P and organic P by drying, dispersion in a mortar and sieving followed by boiling in HCl. Analysis of phosphate-P in all extracts was done with an acid molybdate solution and ascorbic acid, forming a blue complex that was measured spectrophotometrically. There was no significant relationship between soluble P or soluble total-P and the proportion of clay in the sediment samples. This was also the case for total-P and organic-P. Generally, the levels of phosphorus in the sediment were low, which may result from too deep sediment samples, causing the settled P-rich sediment to be diluted by the terrestrial soil underneath the wetland. There was a low proportion of clay in the sediment (4 – 18 %), which made it difficult to detect any correlation with soluble-P content. When omitting the samples at the inlet (which were more influenced by vegetation than the others), a significant positive correlation between percentage of clay and distance from the inlet was detected, suggesting that clay particles were settling in the wetland.</p>

Mine tailings can be rich in sulphide minerals and may form acid mine drainage (AMD) through reaction with atmospheric oxygen and water. AMD contains elevated levels of metals and arsenic (As) that could be harmful to animals and plants. An oxygen-consuming layer of organic material and plants on top of water-covered tailings would probably reduce oxygen penetration into the tailings and thus reduce the formation of AMD. However, wetland plants have the ability to release oxygen through the roots and could thereby increase the solubility of metals and As. These elements are released into the drainage water, taken up and accumulated in the plant roots, or translocated to the shoots. The aim was to examine the effects of plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings by answering following questions: A) Is plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings possible? B) What are the metal and As uptake and translocation properties of these plants? C) How do plants affect metal and As release from mine tailings, and which are the mechanisms involved? Carex rostrata Stokes, Eriophorum angustifolium Honck., E. scheuchzeri Hoppe, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Steud., Salix phylicifolia L. and S. borealis Fr. were used as test plants. Influences of plants on the release of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and in some cases Fe in the drainage water, and plant element uptake were studied in greenhouse experiments and in the field. The results obtained demonstrate that plant establishment are possible on water-covered unweathered mine tailings, and a suitable amendment was found to be sewage sludge. On acidic, weathered tailings, a pH increasing substance such as ashes should be added to improve plant establishment. The metal and As concentrations of the plant tissue were found to be generally higher in roots than in shoots. The uptake was dependent on the metal and As concentrations of the tailings and the release of organic acids from plant roots may have influenced the uptake. The metal release from tailings into the drainage water caused by E. angustifolium was found to depend greatly on the age and chemical properties of the tailings. However, no effects of E. angustifolium on As release was found. Water from old sulphide-, metal- and As-rich tailings with low buffering capacity were positively affected by E. angustifolium by causing higher pH and lower metal concentrations. In tailings with relatively low sulphide, metal and As contents combined with a low buffering capacity, plants had the opposite impact, i.e. a reduction in pH and elevated metal levels of the drainage water. The total release of metal and As from the tailings, i.e. drainage water together with the contents in shoots and roots, was found to be similar for C. rostrata, E. angustifolium and P. australis, except for Fe and As, where the release was highest for P. australis. The differences in metal and As release from mine tailings were mainly found to be due to the release of O2 from the roots, which changes the redox potential. Release of organic acids from the roots slightly decreased the pH, although did not have any particular influence on the release of metal and As. In conclusion, as shown here, phytostabilisation may be a successful technique for remediation of mine tailings with high element and sulphide levels, and low buffering capacity.

The amount of various phosphorus (P) fractions in the sediment and the relationship between the amount of P and sediment particle size were investigated in a constructed wetland southwest of Linköping. Furthermore, the possible correlation between clay content in the sediment and distance from the inlet was investigated. Sediment samples were collected along three transects from the inlet to the outlet, with six samples in each transect. In order to measure the soluble P, an NH4Cl extraction was done. This was also analysed for total soluble P after oxidation with peroxodisulphate. The sediment was also analysed for total-P and organic P by drying, dispersion in a mortar and sieving followed by boiling in HCl. Analysis of phosphate-P in all extracts was done with an acid molybdate solution and ascorbic acid, forming a blue complex that was measured spectrophotometrically. There was no significant relationship between soluble P or soluble total-P and the proportion of clay in the sediment samples. This was also the case for total-P and organic-P. Generally, the levels of phosphorus in the sediment were low, which may result from too deep sediment samples, causing the settled P-rich sediment to be diluted by the terrestrial soil underneath the wetland. There was a low proportion of clay in the sediment (4 – 18 %), which made it difficult to detect any correlation with soluble-P content. When omitting the samples at the inlet (which were more influenced by vegetation than the others), a significant positive correlation between percentage of clay and distance from the inlet was detected, suggesting that clay particles were settling in the wetland.

This research is based on the plan and design of Datang constructed wetland as a storm water wetland system. Qantity of the discharges from Datan community drainage system including its branches surround Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area are estimated. The objectives of this research is to study the possibilities of using the concept of stormwater wetland system for including the Datan constructed wetland and Lin-Bian right-bank wetland as flood detention wetland system and treatment wetlands during the dry season. Generally, flood detention ponds are not functioning except during storm seasons. Rainfall are mostly concentrated from June to September in southern Taiwan (mainly due to southwest monsoon and typhoon), the Datan wetland has therefore planned to treat the domestic sewages and the disposal from aquaculture farms during the dry season, and first flushing drainage during storm season. Besides the flood detention volume, Datan wetland has been designed into four major sections, a) primary settling for settle part of the suspended particles and aeration; b) bio-filtration through 2 sets of bio-filter using crushed bricks and oyster shells as filter media, mainly designed for BOD removal and partly early denitrification; c) followed by shallow weeds pond for reaeration and nutrients uptake by plantation; d) entering a series of open water ponds for stabilization. Landscape has been take good care for recreative function and habitat reserved for variety of birds. Due to the flood detention function will flood the basin few times a year, variable depth environment and plantations are designed. Wetland maintains ordinary water level at EL=-1.1m, maximum flood detention can go as high as EL=+1.5m. The wetland has effective surface approximately 5.5 ha., maximum flood detention quantity approximately 130,000 cubic meters. Since the area is tidally affected, influents contain different levels of salinities. Plantation becomes a difficult issue for the Datan wetland, due to the saline waters. Mangrove is the best choice, so far, for this situation. The mangrove forest has the richest productivity on wetland ecosystem, and can carry on the physical biology multistage degeneration to the sewage and absorb various pollutants. Hydraulic analysis estimates the peak discharge of Datan drainage system¡¦s 10 year flood frequency is 20.17cms, Datan constructed wetland and Linbian right bank constructed wetland can reduces the peak rate of 8.06cms and 4.38 cms, respectively. In addition, most of the branches of the Datan drainage system are thus achieve the ten year return period bench mark from the HEC-RAS evaluation The water quality monitoring results after one month of operation have shown the average elimination rates, TOC=-10%, BOD5=53%, TKN=71%, NH3-N=88%, NO3-N=65, NO2-N=90%, TN=70%, TP=52%, OP=56%, Chl.a=-61%, SS=4%, the turbidity (NTU)=70%. BOD and nutrients are shown effective reductions, while the SS and the chlorophyll-a are correlated mainly due to the plankton growth in the open waters. Long-term monitoring is continuing for the evaluation of the water quality purification function and the operational management model.

Oil sands operators are being faced with the challenge of reclaiming the large volumes of slurry tailings created during oil sands processing. New regulations mandate that operators must minimize fluid tailings by capturing fines in dedicated disposal areas, leading to a ‘trafficable’ or solid deposit. Adding a polyacrylamide polymer to the tailings and thinly spreading them over a sloped disposal area (a process developed by Shell Canada Energy known as the atmospheric fines drying or AFD process) has been shown to enhance the dewatering of tailings which leads to a dry deposit at a much faster rate than traditional methods. Hydroponic experiments using the emergent aquatic macrophytes cattail (Typha latifolia L.) and common reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.) were conducted to investigate the phytotoxicity of waters formed during AFD processing. The phytotoxicity of AFD release waters was compared to the phytotoxicity of traditional mature fine tailings (MFT) reclaim water through the monitoring of plant water uptake and whole plant fresh weight over the course of the experiment. It was found that there are no significant differences between the phytotoxicity observed in the MFT and AFD treatments and it was also found that spring runoff melt water from the AFD deposits is less phytotoxic than the original release water. Two additional hydroponic studies using cattail and common reed were also conducted. The first examined the phytotoxic effects attributable solely to the naphthenic acids isolated from Shell’s Muskeg River Mine tailings, and the second evaluated the phytotoxic effects of amending mature fine tailings with gypsum. It was found that the gypsum amended tailings caused greater phytotoxicity in cattail and common reed than tailings without gypsum added. Furthermore, both species were tolerant to growing in nutrient media spiked with naphthenic acids (40 mg/L). The phytotoxicity experiments conducted also demonstrated that common reed is consistently more tolerant to growing in water associated with oil sands tailings and is therefore the more appropriate choice for use in reclamation strategies involving wetland plants. Mass spectrometry was used to determine the naphthenic acid molecular profiles for Shell oil sands tailings. Using low resolution mass spectrometry, no detectable features or changes to the composition of naphthenic acids attributable to Shell processing were found. High-resolution mass spectrometry provided insight into possible plant mediated changes and biodegradation of naphthenic acids. It appears as though, to some extent, cattail is able to dissipate naphthenic acids, which could explain the susceptibility of cattail to the phytotoxic effects of naphthenic acids. Further research is required to determine whether the changes observed in the naphthenic acid mixture are due to microbial degradation and/or a phytotoxic response of the plants studied.