Biodiversity in Wetland plus system: A passive solution for HCH dump effluents Biodiversity

The hexachlorocyclohexane and its isomers are long-banned pesticides. Even though their use has been prohibited for decades, their presence in the environment is still reported worldwide. Wetland plus is a registered trademark of remedial treatment technology consisting aerobic sedimentary tank, permeable reactive barrier, biosorption system and aerobic wetland. This proven method combines reductive treatment known from PRBs with natural wetland self-cleaning processes. The presence of the genes encoding enzymes involved in the degradation of the HCH compounds indicates that removal of HCH and ClB compounds occurs not only by chemical removal but also through aerobic and anaerobic combining biodegradation. Changes in abundance and the composition of diatom community were found suitable indicators of water quality and of the impact of the operation of Wetland plus on the water ecosystem. Eleven months of operation of the Wetland+ exhibited a markedly higher number of diatom species in the close profiles of the Ostrovsky Creek that is the recipient of the Wetland plus effluent.