Journal of Environmental Quality · 1979 · 136 citations · 0 references
EngineeringEnvironmental EngineeringEnvironmental SciencesNutrient CyclingWastewater TreatmentWater TreatmentNitrogen CycleNitrogen RemovalNutrient RemovalSecondary TreatmentWetland BiogeochemistryWetland Soil BiogeochemistryDenitrificationDenitrification ProcessesFresh Water SystemsNitrate ReductionNitrogen Balance AssessmentNitrogen Mass BalanceNutrient Removal In WetlandsTertiary Treatment Processes
Abstract The application of secondary treated waste water to fresh water wetlands has received recent attention as a tertiary treatment method. The fate of nitrate nitrogen in such applications is of concern because of the potential for leaching into ground and surface water supplies. Nitrate removal in wetland soil‐water suspensions was studied using a Warburg Respirometer. All important pathways of nitrate reduction were accounted for using a nitrogen mass balance. The data indicate that 90 to 95% of the nitrate added to wetland soil‐water suspensions is reduced to nitrogenous gases, with little or no transfer of nitrate to ammonia nitrogen or organic nitrogen fractions.