Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026
13:48
Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility
Published on: August 8, 2014
Mitigation of chlorpyrifos runoff using constructed wetlands
M T Moore1, R Schulz, C M Cooper
1Water Quality and Ecological Processes Research Unit, USDA-ARS National Sedimentation Laboratory, Oxford, MS 38655, USA. mtmoore@ars.usda.gov
Chemosphere
|April 2, 2002
Summary
Constructed wetlands effectively mitigate pesticide runoff by retaining chlorpyrifos in sediment and plants. This research supports their use as a best management practice in agricultural watersheds.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Agricultural Engineering
- Ecotoxicology
Background:
- Agricultural runoff poses environmental risks due to pesticide contamination.
- Constructed wetlands are explored as a sustainable solution for mitigating these impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of constructed wetlands in removing chlorpyrifos from simulated agricultural runoff.
- To assess the retention capacity of wetland sediments and plants for pesticides.
Main Methods:
- Mesocosm experiments simulating storm runoff with varying chlorpyrifos concentrations.
- Weekly sampling of water, sediment, and plant tissues over 12 weeks.
- Field-scale evaluation in the Lourens River watershed, South Africa.
Main Results:
- Chlorpyrifos rapidly sorbed to sediment (55%) and plants (25%) within wetland mesocosms.
- Significant reduction in chlorpyrifos concentration and suspended sediment observed in field-scale wetland.
- Wetlands demonstrated substantial retention of pesticide mass within the initial 30-36 meters.
Conclusions:
- Constructed wetlands are effective best management practices for reducing pesticide-associated agricultural runoff.
- Sediment and plant uptake are key mechanisms for chlorpyrifos removal.
- Findings provide crucial data for designing effective field-scale constructed wetlands in agricultural settings.
Related Concept Videos
00:46Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
02:41Responses to Drought and Flooding
Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
01:28Microbial Bioremediation of Pesticides
Pesticides often feature structurally complex chemical architectures, incorporating halogen groups and multiple aromatic rings. These characteristics confer high chemical stability, rendering many pesticides resistant to natural degradation processes. This resistance poses significant environmental concerns, as persistent pesticide residues can accumulate in ecosystems and affect non-target organisms.Despite the inherent stability of many pesticides, certain microorganisms possess the metabolic...
01:30Microbial Wastewater Treatment
Microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems play a key role in the natural breakdown of contaminants introduced through domestic and industrial effluents. Acting as biological catalysts, these microbes change and mineralize a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants under different redox conditions.In oxygen-rich surface waters, aerobic heterotrophs lead organic matter breakdown, using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor to efficiently oxidize substrates to carbon dioxide and water.
01:30Biological Treatment of Effluent and Waste Water
Biological wastewater treatment relies on the metabolic activity of microorganisms to remove pollutants from sewage. In modern treatment systems, this process is organized into sequential stages that progressively reduce solid material, dissolved organic matter, and microbial contamination. Each stage plays a distinct role in improving water quality and preparing the effluent for safe discharge or reuse.Primary and Secondary TreatmentPrimary treatment is a physical process that removes large...