Nitrate removal rates and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels were evaluated in small batch-mode
wetland mesocosms with two different plant species, cattail (Typha spp.) and bulrush (Scirpus
spp.), and associated mineral-dominated sediment collected from a mature treatment
wetland. Nitrate loss in both cattail and bulrush mesocosms was first-order in nature. Firstorder
volumetric rate constants (kV) were 0.30 d−1 for cattail and 0.21 d−1 for bulrush and
rates of nitrate loss were significantly different between plant treatments (p < 0.005). On
an areal basis, maximum rates of nitrate removal were around 500mgN/(m2 d) early in the
experiment when nitrate levelswere high (> 15mgN/L). Areal removal rateswere on average
25% higher in cattail versus bulrush mesocosms. DO in mesocosm water was significantly
higher in bulrush versus cattail (p < 0.001). DO in bulrush generally ranged between 0.5 and
2 mg/L, while DO in cattail mesocosms was consistently below 0.3 mg/L. Based on cumulative
frequency analysis, DO exceeded 1 mg/L around 50% of the time in bulrush, but only
2% of the time in cattail. DO in bulrush exhibited a statistically significant diel cycle with
DO peaks in the late afternoon and DO minimums in the early morning hours. Difference
in nitrate removal rates between wetland plant treatments may have been due to differing
plant carbon quality. Cattail litter, which has been shown in other studies to exhibit superior
biodegradability, may have enhanced biological denitrification by fueling heterotrophic
microbial activity, which in turn may have depressed DO levels, a prerequisite for denitrification.
Our results show that the cattail is more effective than bulrush for treating
nitrate-dominant wastewaters.