Abstract Large amounts of straw produced each year are currently wasted. A potential use of this resource in permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) for the denitrification of polluted groundwater has not… Click to show full abstract
Abstract Large amounts of straw produced each year are currently wasted. A potential use of this resource in permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) for the denitrification of polluted groundwater has not previously been reported. In this study, a field PRB filled with straw-based materials was installed to reduce nitrogen transport in the Huaihe River Basin. In initial laboratory-scale experiments, wheat straw, corn straw, corncobs, and woodchip substrates were investigated through elemental analysis, leaching experiments, and their functional gene abundance. The carbon and nitrogen contents of the substrates were 39.62–48.17% and 0.64–1.07%. Corn-straw (15.12 mg g–1) and wheat straw (8.04 mg g–1) exhibited higher leaching of total organic carbon (TOC), in the presence of denitrification functional genes. All agricultural waste released chromaticity (up to 750 degree) and nitrate, nitrite (
               
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