In this study, a novel sludge-ceramsite was applied as main substrate in intermittent-aerated subsurface
flow constructed wetlands (SSF CWs) for treating decentralized domestic wastewater, and intensified
organics and nitrogen removal in different SSF CWs (with and without intermittent aeration, with and
without sludge-ceramsite substrate) were evaluated. High removal of 97.2% COD, 98.9% NH4 + -N and
85.8% TN were obtained simultaneously in the intermittent-aerated CW system using sludge-ceramsite
substrate compared with non-aerated CWs. Moreover, results from fluorescence in situ hybridization
(FISH) analysis revealed that the growth of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria
(NOB) in the intermittent-aerated CW system with sludge-ceramsite substrate was enhanced, thus
indicating that the application of intermittent aeration and sludge-ceramsite plays an important role in
nitrogen transformations. These results suggest that a combination of intermittent aeration and sludgeceramsite
substrate is reliable to enhance the treatment performance in SSF CWs.