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Updated: May 10, 2026
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Mesocosm-Scale Constructed Wetland Design for Wastewater Treatment
Published on: May 2, 2025
Bacteria distribution and dynamics in constructed wetlands based on modelling results
1GEMMA-Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology, Department of Hydraulic, Maritime and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, c/Jordi Girona, 1-3, Building D1, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain. roger.samso-campa@upc.edu
The Science of the Total Environment
|June 11, 2013
Summary
Constructed wetland bacterial communities take 400-700 days to stabilize, with anaerobic bacteria dominating and sulphate reducers becoming most abundant. This stability is crucial for effective wastewater treatment performance.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Wastewater treatment technologies
- Ecological modeling
Background:
- Bacterial communities in constructed wetlands are vital for pollutant removal.
- Community stability is a critical factor for wetland performance.
- Understanding bacterial dynamics is essential for optimizing wastewater treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the time required for bacterial community stabilization in constructed wetlands.
- To analyze the abundance, spatial distribution, and functional importance of different bacterial groups.
- To investigate the factors influencing bacterial community structure and dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulation using the BIO_PORE model.
- Modeling the dynamics of six functional bacterial groups over three years.
- Assessing bacterial stabilization using biomass, effluent quality, and diversity indices.
Main Results:
- Aerobic bacteria dominated early, followed by anaerobic bacteria.
- Bacterial community stability was achieved between 400 and 700 days.
- Sulphate-reducing bacteria constituted the largest biomass (46%) post-stabilization.
- Dissolved oxygen and H2S toxicity controlled bacterial distribution.
- Inert solid accumulation shifted the active bacterial zone towards the outlet.
Conclusions:
- Constructed wetland bacterial communities require a significant period (400-700 days) to reach stability.
- Anaerobic bacteria, particularly sulphate reducers, play a dominant role in stable wetland ecosystems.
- Environmental factors like oxygen levels and toxicity are key drivers of bacterial community structure and function in wetlands.
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