Title
Plastic particles affect N2O release via altering core microbial metabolisms in constructed wetlands
Author
Yang, X. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering; Chongqing University; Westlake University; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Ocean University of China)
Chen, Yi (Chongqing University)
Liu, Tao (Chongqing University)
Zhang, Lu (Westlake University; Westlake Institute for Advanced Study)
Wang, Hui (Westlake University; Westlake Institute for Advanced Study)
Chen, Mengli (Chongqing University)
He, Qiang (Chongqing University)
Liu, G. (TU Delft Sanitary Engineering; Chinese Academy of Sciences) 
Ju, Feng (Westlake University; Westlake Institute for Advanced Study)
Date
2024
Abstract
Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been proven to effectively immobilize plastic particles. However, little is known about the differences in the impact of varying sized plastic particles on nitrous oxide (N2O) release, as well as the intervention mechanisms in CWs. Here, we built a lab-scale wetland model and introduced plastic particles of macro-, micro-, and nano-size at 100 μg/L for 370 days. The results showed that plastic particles of all sizes reduced N2O release in CWs, with the degrees being the strongest for the Nano group, followed by Micro and Macro groups. Meanwhile, 15N- and 18O-tracing experiment revealed that the ammoxidation process contributed the most N2O production, followed by denitrification. While for every N2O-releasing process, the contributing proportion of N2O in nitrification-coupled denitrification were most significantly cut down under exposing to macro-sized plastics and had an obvious increase in nitrifier denitrification in all groups, respectively. Finally, we revealed the three mechanism pathways of N2O release reduction with macro-, micro-, and nano-sized plastics by impacting carbon assimilation (RubisCO activity), ammonia oxidation (gene amo abundance and HAO activity), and N-ion transmembrane and reductase activities, respectively. Our findings thus provided novel insights into the potential effects of plastic particles in CWs as an eco-technology.
Subject
Carbon metabolism
Constructed wetlands
Nitrogen metabolism
Nitrous oxide
Plastic particles
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:731f8df8-3696-4906-83ba-ab5ecc9598c3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2024.121506
Embargo date
2024-09-22
ISSN
0043-1354
Source
Water Research, 255
Bibliographical note
Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.
Part of collection
Institutional Repository
Document type
journal article
Rights
© 2024 X. Yang, Yi Chen, Tao Liu, Lu Zhang, Hui Wang, Mengli Chen, Qiang He, G. Liu, Feng Ju