<i>Acorus calamus</i>-based biochar filler enhances removal of antibiotics in constructed wetlands

XU Xiaoyi; YANG Tianbao; WU Wei; HUANG Tianyin; CUI Shuangshuang; XU Leyou; WU Bingdang; YANG Jingjing; DU Shujuan; ZHUANG Jinlong

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202511004

Volume 43 Issue 11

Nov. 2025

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Article Navigation > ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING > 2025 > 43(11): 30-39

XU Xiaoyi, YANG Tianbao, WU Wei, HUANG Tianyin, CUI Shuangshuang, XU Leyou, WU Bingdang, YANG Jingjing, DU Shujuan, ZHUANG Jinlong. Acorus calamus-based biochar filler enhances removal of antibiotics in constructed wetlands[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(11): 30-39. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202511004

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XU Xiaoyi, YANG Tianbao, WU Wei, HUANG Tianyin, CUI Shuangshuang, XU Leyou, WU Bingdang, YANG Jingjing, DU Shujuan, ZHUANG Jinlong. Acorus calamus-based biochar filler enhances removal of antibiotics in constructed wetlands[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(11): 30-39. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202511004

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Acorus calamus-based biochar filler enhances removal of antibiotics in constructed wetlands

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202511004

1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China;
2. Key Laboratory of Suzhou Sponge City Technology, Suzhou 215009, China;
3. Suzhou New District Water Purification Co., Ltd., Suzhou 215009, China

Received Date: 2024-05-15
Accepted Date: 2024-07-02
Rev Recd Date: 2024-06-20

Available Online: 2026-01-09

Abstract

Abstract

To solve the critical issue of antibiotic residues in the effluent of urban wastewater treatment plants， this study investigated the enhancement of constructed wetlands （CWs） through the application of calamus-based biochar fillers to improve the removal efficiency of sulfamethoxazole （SMX） and erythromycin （ERY）. The research focuses on optimizing the operational methods and parameters of CWs， and analyzing the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes （ARGs） and the microbial community structure. The findings were as follows： 1） horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland demonstrated a markedly higher removal rate for SMX， ERY， and nitrogenous nutrients compared to vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland （P<0.05）， indicating its superior performance in deep water purification； 2）the optimal removal efficiencies for SMX and ERY， reaching 90.5% and 92.7%， respectively， were achieved when the dosage of calamus-based biochar fillers was set at 4% and the hydraulic retention time was maintained at 3 days； 3） the substantial reduction of antibiotic resistance genes in the constructed wetlands effluent was 81.2% when biochar filler dosage increased from 2% to 4%， but the substantial reduction of antibiotic resistance genes in the constructed wetlands effluent was 74.4% when biochar filler dosage increased from 2% to 4%. Meanwhile， the absolute abundance of sul1 decreased from 1.2×10⁹ copies/g in 2% biochar filler to 9.6×10⁸ copies/g in 4% biochar filler， and further to 3.8×10⁸ copies/g in 6% biochar filler， respectively. Additionally， the abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria， specifically Rhodococcus and Luteolibacter， within the substrate significantly decreased by 16%. These would reduce the ecological safety risks in water bodies. These findings provide new insights for enhancing constructed wetland systems， enabling the sustainable and efficient removal of antibiotic residues from municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents.
- construct wetland,
- biochar filler,
- antibiotics,
- antibiotic resistance genes,
- dosage

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References(56)

References

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