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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
Published on: March 6, 2014
Efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus removal by six macrophytes from eutrophic water
Shuai Yu1, Chunping Miao1, Hong Song1
1a CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management , Institute of Applied Ecology , Shenyang , People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Increased nitrogen and phosphorus pollution causes eutrophication in water bodies. Using aquatic plants to remove nutrients from water is an attractive phytoremediation. It is a cost-effective, environment-friendly, and efficient way that reduces water body eutrophication by the plant. It is important to choose suitable macrophytes to remove excess N and P under different nutrient conditions. In this study, six macrophyte species (Polygonum orientale, Juncus effuses, Iris pseudocorus, Phragmites australis, Iris sanguinea, Typha orientalis) were tested. Simulation experiment was conducted under five N and P levels. The removal rate, relative growth rate, and the dynamic nutrition concentration of cultivated solution were investigated. Of all the treatment, a 23-95% reduction in N removal and a 29-92% reduction in P removal were recorded. The results showed I. sanguinea is a promising species to treat various eutrophic waters and the other five species can be used specifically to treat certain types of water. The data provided a theoretical guidance to plant species selection for phytoremediation of polluted water bodies for the purpose of water quality improvement around the different reservoir in northern China.
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