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Updated: May 25, 2026

Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
Published on: October 7, 2020
Nitrate removal from groundwater in columns packed with reed and rice stalks
Jiazhong Qian1, Zhiping Wang, Song Jin
1School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China.
Abstract:
Nitrate leaching contaminates groundwater. The objective of this study was to determine if reed and rice stalks could enhance denitrification and reduce nitrate leaching into groundwater. Artificial groundwater spiked with nitrate and field groundwater samples were tested in the columns in sand reactors packed with either reed or rice stalks. The maximum nitrate removal rates were determined to be 1.93 and 1.97 mg nitrate-N l(-1) h(-1), respectively, in the reed and rice stalk-packed columns. The maximum nitrate-nitrogen removal rate in reactors packed with reed stalk was 1.33 mg nitrate-N l(-1) h(-1) when experimented with natural groundwater. Chemical oxygen demand consumption was higher when rice stalk (176.1 mg l(-1)) was used as the substrate, compared to reed stalk (35.2 mg l(-1)) at the same substrate dosage. No nitrite accumulation was detected during the test. The results demonstrate that agricultural byproducts, such as reed and rice stalks, may be used as substrate amendments for enhanced denitrification in natural settings, such as lakeside lagoons, ditches or wetlands.
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