all mesocosms were operated at real HRTs, i.e. the wastewater was remained in mesocosms for 1, 2, 4 and 8 days, respectively.
At each HRT, the influent was equably distributed to each mesocosm at a same loading (67 L unit−1) and flow rate (86.4 ml d−1) using two perforated PVC pipes (diameter: 3 cm).
and at the same time unplanted mesocosms were also included (Table 1).