A restoration-promoting integrated floating bed and its experimental performance in eutrophication remediation

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Aquatic Ecology
• Water Resource Management

Background:

• Eutrophication remediation often separates water purification and macrophyte restoration.
• Existing methods face challenges in achieving simultaneous purification and ecological recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a restoration-promoting integrated floating bed (RPIFB) for simultaneous eutrophication remediation and macrophyte restoration.
• To compare the purification capacity of RPIFB with traditional floating bed and gradual-submerging bed (GSB) technologies.
• To investigate the impact of RPIFB design parameters on aquatic biota.

Main Methods:

• Two outdoor experiments were conducted to assess RPIFB performance.
• Trial 1 compared RPIFB, floating bed, and GSB for eutrophication purification.
• Trial 2 examined the effects of GSB depth and RPIFB photic area on plant growth and survival of aquatic organisms.

Main Results:

• RPIFB demonstrated superior purification capacity, with high removal efficiencies for TN (74.45%), TP (98.31%), Chlorophyll-a (90.17%), and turbidity (85%).
• Optimizing RPIFB (reduced GSB depth, increased photic area) enhanced *Potamogeton crispus* growth but reduced *Canna indica* biomass.
• Low mortality rates (<7%) were observed for *Misgurnus anguillicaudatus* and *Bellamya aeruginosa* across all treatments.

Conclusions:

• RPIFB effectively integrates water purification and macrophyte restoration.
• The technology promotes a regime shift from phytoplankton to macrophyte dominance in eutrophic waters.
• RPIFB presents a promising, integrated solution for eutrophication management and submerged macrophyte restoration.