his research, developed as part of the PRIMA-SAFE project and published in Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, investigates the use of constructed wetlands, enhanced with Trichoderma asperellum, for the removal of contaminants and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from treated wastewater.
Key Findings
- Bioaugmentation with Trichoderma successfully enhanced the growth of the fungus in competitive conditions and increased the removal efficiency (RE) of selected CECs—especially diclofenac and benzotriazole, which saw a RE improvement of more than 10%.
- Of the 22 compounds with high RE (>65%), 17 had log Dow values between 0 and 3, an optimal range for plant uptake.
- Highly polar compounds (log Dow < 0), such as melamine, were poorly removed.
- The wetlands generated multiple transformation products (TPs), including N-oxides and hydroxylated compounds, some of which were persistent.
- No significant differences in ARGs abundance were observed across treatments, though bioaugmentation influenced the composition and turnover of ARGs communities.
Implications
This pilot-scale study provides valuable insights into the complexity of contaminant and ARGs removal in CWs and the limited but selective advantages of fungal bioaugmentation. It supports the integration of nature-based solutions with biological enhancements to address emerging pollutants in treated wastewater, especially in contexts of reuse for agriculture.
Reference
Tadić Đ., Sauvêtre A., Cerqueira F., Lestremau F., Ait-Mouheb N., Chiron S. (2024).
Partially saturated vertical surface flow constructed wetland for emerging contaminants and antibiotic resistance genes removal from wastewater: The effect of bioaugmentation with Trichoderma.
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 12, 112128.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2024.112128