title: Comparative assessment of LECA and Spartina maritima to remove emerging organic contaminants from wastewater.
abstract: The present work aimed to evaluate the capacity of constructed wetlands (CWs) to remove three emerging organic contaminants with different physicochemical properties: caffeine (CAF), oxybenzone (MBPh), and triclosan (TCS). The simulated CWs were set up with a matrix of light expanded clay aggregates (LECA) and planted with Spartina maritima, a salt marsh plant. Controlled experiments were carried out in microcosms using deionized water and wastewater collected at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), with different contaminant mass ranges, for 3, 7, and 14 days. The effects of variables were tested isolatedly and together (LECA and/or S. maritima). The presence of LECA and/or S. maritima has shown higher removal (around 61-97%) of lipophilic compounds (MBPh and TCS) than the hydrophilic compound (CAF; around 19-85%). This was attributed to the fact that hydrophilic compounds are dissolved in the water column, whereas the lipophilic ones suffer sorption processes promoting their removal by plant roots and/or LECA. In the control (only wastewater), a decrease in the three contaminant levels was observed. Adsorption and bio/rhizoremediation are the strongest hypothesis to explain the decrease in contaminants in the tested conditions.
authors.affiliation: CENSE, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal. arl.ferreira@campus.fct.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Ana Rita
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4931-9325
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: CENSE, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guedes
authors.affiliation: CENSE, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Eduardo P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Mateus
authors.affiliation: CENSE, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal. abr@fct.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Alexandra B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: CENSE, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Nazaré
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Couto
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000538:Aluminum Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D000077215:Clay; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D000077215:Clay; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Constructed wetlands; Emerging organic contaminants; LECA; Spartina maritima; Wastewater