Ecological Engineering最新文献

{"title":"The ecosystem-based marine comprehensive zoning practice and evaluation: A case study of Nantong, China","authors":"Zhou Chen ,&nbsp;Haifeng Zhang ,&nbsp;Lin Zhao ,&nbsp;Wen Du ,&nbsp;Min Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ecosystem-based Marine spatial planning (MSP) is an effective approach to mitigate conflicts between marine ecological conservation and resource exploitation. This study applies the Marxan model to delineate marine ecological zones with multiple protection standards in the Nantong Sea, China. By integrating resource-use zoning, two comprehensive zoning schemes with varying degrees of ecological protection are developed. The process involves adjusting the ecological protection costs within the Marxan model by accounting for impacts of resource-use zoning on ecological conservation. The goal is to optimize both ecological and comprehensive zoning, while evaluating the spatial structure and overall benefits of comprehensive zoning optimized schemes. The recommended comprehensive zoning optimized scheme allocates 34.19 % and 2.95 % of the area to ecological preservation zones and ecological control zones, respectively. Marine development zones and reserve zones account for 27.22 % and 35.64 % of the area. Ecological preservation zones effectively fulfill protection objectives, while control zones and reserve zones serve to buffer preservation areas from development zones, safeguarding sufficient spatial resources for future marine development. During the evaluation of the optimized scheme, ecological preservation zones and reserve zones each account for approximately 35 % of the area, with the developed coastline comprising no more than 30 %. More than 35 % of typical cross-sections are in an ecological preservation state, while 40 % are in a reserved state. Additionally, the recommended scheme optimizes protection costs, the compactness of preservation zones, and economic benefits. This study, using the Nantong Sea as a case study, outlines the technical process from marine single zoning to comprehensive zoning, and from comprehensive zoning to optimized comprehensive zoning and scheme evaluation. It provides a scientific approach for assessing MSP schemes and offering detailed references for mid- to small-scale MSP projects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 107684"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How anthropogenic modification of riverscapes reduces the resilience of floodplain water bodies to drought","authors":"Luisa Coder ,&nbsp;Andreas Musolff ,&nbsp;Pia Marie Kronsbein ,&nbsp;Kay Knöller ,&nbsp;Olaf Büttner ,&nbsp;Karsten Rinke ,&nbsp;Jörg Tittel","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Between 2018 and 2023, central Europe experienced a series of droughts—one manifestation of climate change expected to increase in frequency in the future. These events increasingly expose aquatic ecosystems, such as floodplain water bodies, to hydrological extremes. Simultaneously, anthropogenic river modifications like channelization and diking have been progressively disconnecting semi-aquatic ecosystems from the main river. Here, we examined how drought and hydromorphological modifications affect the water quality of floodplain water bodies.</div><div>Specifically, we investigated 36 floodplain water bodies near the Elbe River in Germany and analyzed water samples from spring and late summer 2022. We assessed connectivity (past frequency of surface connection to the stream) and effects of drought (evaporation measured by changes in stable water isotopes) using a scoring system. This system evaluated impairment and habitat loss, allowing us to quantify the impact of hydrological disconnection on floodplain water bodies.</div><div>Severe impacts, including low surface oxygen (&lt;3 mg/L), products of anaerobic decomposition, fish kills, and dry-outs, primarily affected water bodies with low connectivity (&lt;10 %). Multiple linear regression linked low connectivity and high evaporation to habitat degradation (r² = 0.487, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). Furthermore, dissolved oxygen concentrations increased with increasing chlorophyll <em>a</em> in connected lakes (p &lt; 0.001), as expected, but no relationship was observed in disconnected lakes (<em>p</em> = 0.626). We attribute this lack of correlation to the decomposition of fine-grained organic sediments that have not been resuspended and flushed out in disconnected lakes. We conclude that river modifications for navigation reduce floodplain resilience to droughts, amplifying the effects of climate change on semi-aquatic ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 107686"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144169551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Responses and influencing factors of benthic macroinvertebrate recovery in restored subtropical urban rivers","authors":"Linhui Su ,&nbsp;Weifeng Ruan ,&nbsp;Tingzhe Ou ,&nbsp;Jinghua Zhang ,&nbsp;Yunv Dai ,&nbsp;Ran Tao ,&nbsp;Xiaomeng Zhang ,&nbsp;Nora Fung-yee Tam ,&nbsp;Yang Yang ,&nbsp;Yiping Tai","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107687","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban streams in many regions of the world are subject to water environment and ecological degradation, and the efficacy of conventional remediation strategies remains uncertain. This study evaluated the initial ecological recovery in rehabilitated urban streams by analyzing the response of benthic macroinvertebrates community and water quality. The effects of hard embankment engineering were quantified using an Index of Biological Integrity (IBI), which was derived from five core indicators: number of taxa, Shannon-Wiener index, Tubificidae%, tolerant% and collectors%. Data were collected from 29 sampling sites across 11 treated urban channels in Guangzhou City. As impervious surface area increased, sensitive species declined or vanished, while pollution-tolerant species like Oligochaeta and Chironomidae became dominant. Macroinvertebrate diversity and functional feeding groups significantly decreased, leading to “very poor” and “poor” health statuses. Key water parameters affecting benthic species diversity included dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn), total phosphorus (TP), depth, and flow velocity. The Shannon-Weiner index and functional feeding group for macroinvertebrates show seasonal consistency in disturbance zones (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). However, Benthic Index of Biological Integrity (B-IBI) assessment results vary seasonally, correlating significantly with disturbance intensity, indicating benthic communities' sensitivity to habitat stressors. Water replenishment strategies mitigate early urbanization impacts, highlighting their role in boosting urban stream resilience and offering new insights for ecological rehabilitation and global urban river management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 107687"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144169550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The change pattern and spatiotemporal transition of land use carbon emissions in China's Three-North Shelterbelt Program Region","authors":"Liwei Yang ,&nbsp;Chengyuan Wang ,&nbsp;Yuan Liu ,&nbsp;Tongpeng Wang ,&nbsp;Zhenglin Tian ,&nbsp;Longxin Ding ,&nbsp;Zian Liu ,&nbsp;Tiantian Feng ,&nbsp;Qian Niu ,&nbsp;Xuegang Mao ,&nbsp;Viktor Karminov ,&nbsp;Sergey Chumachenko","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107680","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107680","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land use carbon emissions have become a global research focus, with previous studies primarily concentrating on the estimation of carbon emissions from land use and the analysis of influencing factors. However, the spatial patterns and trends of land use carbon emissions are often overlooked, and neglecting this aspect may hinder the development of targeted mitigation measures and policies. Therefore, this study focuses on the ecological restoration Program region in China - the Three-North Shelter Forest Program (TNSFP). By combining the carbon emission coefficient method with Exploratory Spatial-Temporal Data Analysis (ESTDA), this research provides a visual analysis of the spatial patterns and trends of land use carbon emissions in the TNSFP region of China. We found that from 1995 to 2020, the total carbon emissions from land use in the TNSFP region increased from 2.78 × 10⁸ tons to 8.39 × 10⁸ tons, representing a threefold increase. Land use carbon emissions exhibited a significant positive spatial autocorrelation, with spatial convergence showing a trend of initially decreasing and then increasing. The spatiotemporal pattern of land use carbon emissions displayed clear path dependence and lock-in spatial characteristics, with a gradual weakening trend. We emphasize that urbanization has been the primary driver of carbon emissions in the TNSFP region, and traditional ecological conservation and afforestation policies aimed at enhancing carbon sequestration have proven insufficient in curbing the rise in carbon emissions. The findings offer new insights into the spatial patterns and trends of land use carbon emissions in China's ecological restoration regions, providing a deeper understanding. Additionally, they offer valuable references for the green, low-carbon, and sustainable development of ecological restoration regions in China and other countries, as well as for the formulation of differentiated carbon reduction policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 107680"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Meta-analysis of mangrove phytoremediation for heavy metal mitigation in coastal regions of China","authors":"Shafeeq Ur Rahman ,&nbsp;Jing-Cheng Han ,&nbsp;Ghulam Yasin ,&nbsp;Aanisa Manzoor Shah","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107683","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107683","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heavy metals (HMs) are major contributors to coastal pollution and pose serious threats to coastal biodiversity. Given their non-degradability, bio-accumulation, bio magnification, abundance, and toxicity through successive trophic levels, effective management strategies are crucial to addressing toxic metals. Recently, mangrove forestation regions in China have faced increasing HM pollution. This meta-analysis evaluates phytoremediation strategies employed by various mangrove species against toxic metals and organic pollutants in different provinces of China. Data on the phytoremediation potential of mangroves were collected and analyzed from 220 publications within 24 years, from 2000 to 2024. Results indicate a 28 % increase in phytoremediation potential in China. Notably, significant phytoremediation was observed in <em>Bruguiera sexangula</em> (33 %) in Hainan, <em>Kandelia abovata</em> in Guangdong (27 %), Zhejiang (25 %), Liaoning (26 %), and Tianjin (6 %), <em>Avicennia marina</em> in Shandong (22 %); Sonneratia <em>apetala</em> (3 %) in Jiangsu, <em>Bruguiera gymnorhiza</em> in Fujian (9 %) and <em>Rhizophora stylosa</em> (6 %) in Guangxi province. Additionally, significant accumulation of HMs was observed in sediments (5 μg/g), plant parts (3–20 μg/g), and soil (7 μg/g). Our study demonstrated that <em>K. obovata</em>, <em>B. sexangula, A. marina</em>, <em>B.gymnorhiza</em>, <em>R. stylosa,</em> and <em>S. apetala</em> showed morphological changes such as pneumatophores and viviparous propagules, biochemical changes (e.g., increased antioxidants, such as MDA, PPO, SKDH, CAD) and genetic changes, (e.g., upregulation of antioxidant genes) in response to the toxic effects of HMs. Furthermore, Igeo, PLI, and ERI values reveal that Guangdong, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Tianjin would be considered polluted regions (Igeo &gt;6; PLI &lt; 1; ERI &gt; 1).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 107683"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144169552","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is it ecologically feasible to enclose mangrove-mud coasts using multiple concrete structures for erosion control? Evidence from the Vietnamese Mekong Delta","authors":"Nguyen Tan Phong ,&nbsp;Nguyen Bao Thuan ,&nbsp;Nguyen Ngoc Tien ,&nbsp;Huynh Van Quoc","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multiple concrete (offshore and shoreline) structures are increasingly being built to enclose entire mangrove mud coasts to control coastal erosion. Until now, it remains unclear as to whether or not enclosing mangrove-mud coasts using multiple concrete structures for erosion control is ecologically feasible. The authors used the Tien Giang Protected Mangrove Forest (Tien Giang PMF), Tien Giang Province, the Vietnamese Mekong Delta, as a case study to partially address this question. The authors investigated the relationship between the construction of multiple shoreline and offshore structures constructed along the Tien Giang coast (TGCPS) and the protection of Tien Giang PMF through 2024 in terms of shoreline changes, changes to mangrove vegetation cover, and strong mangrove growth in the absence of the TGCPS protection. This study involved the analysis of shoreline changes over multiple years (2000 and 2024), calculation of the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), in addition to ground truthing, and field investigations. The authors found that the shoreline of Tien Giang PMF has changed despite the construction of the TGCPS. TGCPS were constructed in areas of moderate to high erosion and had a low level of mangrove growth in the surrounding areas. Mangrove forests survived and grew strongly in areas without protection by TGCPS. The survival of the mangrove forests was threatened by multiple threats. Therefore, the combination of shoreline and offshore structures is acceptable as a short-term strategy in a specific area to control eroding muddy coast. However, it is therefore not ecologically feasible to enclose an entire coast using multiple shoreline and offshore structures without properly considering the local hydrodynamic elements. Instead, a holistic approach should be designed with rigorous hydrodynamic studies, and the placement of structures must be strategic and well-studied.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 107678"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tradeoffs among ecosystem services under ecological engineering construction: Donor and receiver evaluation of 25 soil and water conservation projects in China","authors":"Yuanxiang Yang ,&nbsp;Lang Huang ,&nbsp;Shihuai Deng ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Zhang ,&nbsp;Wenyue Hou ,&nbsp;Shijiang Xiao ,&nbsp;Rui Shen ,&nbsp;Xiang You ,&nbsp;Yan Yang ,&nbsp;Hengyu Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107685","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China's recent ambitious ecological goals have driven ecological engineering projects, some of which have faced criticism for inefficiency and increasing trade-offs among ecosystem services (ESs). Evaluating these projects is crucial for developing more sustainable solutions. To address this issue, we develop a comprehensive evaluation framework that combines emergy analysis (donor side) and economic analysis (receiver side) to assess the value of five key ecosystem services (ESVs) using 25 soil and water conservation projects (SWCPs) as case studies. Furthermore, we apply partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the interaction mechanisms among drivers, including measures factors (<em>measures</em>), terrain factors (<em>terrain</em>), environmental factors (<em>environment</em>), and climatic factors (<em>climate</em>). The results show that after the SWCPs construction, although increase in the total ESs value (ESV_T) have been found, the decrease of water conservation is demonstrated from both emergy and economic analysis. Carbon sequestration increased in all studied SWCPs expect the Gaocang river small watershed. Inconsistent results from the two adopted methods suggest that the ecological engineering evaluation should consider from both donor side and receiver side. Tradeoffs among ESVs, most notably in soil retention and water conservation pair, suggest the SWCPs are uncoordinated with local ESs. Results derived from our proposed indicators show that the emergy sustainability index (ESI) of more than half of the studied SWCPs decreases, while the cumulative present value of 8 SWCPs also declines. Finally, we find that terrain and climate are the primary drivers of ESVs increases, whereas environment and measures have the most significant negative impacts. <em>Measures</em> weakens the positive effect of <em>terrain</em> while amplifying the negative effect of <em>environment</em>. Finally, suggestions toward optimized ecological construction were raised.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 107685"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of different ecological management measures of urban forests on soil bacterial diversity","authors":"Chendong Tang ,&nbsp;Hui Wang ,&nbsp;Songshuo Li ,&nbsp;Qing Wang ,&nbsp;Ming Nie ,&nbsp;Bo Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To enhance the sustainable development of urban ecosystems, understanding the responses of soil microbial diversity to different ecological management measures is essential. However, the primary factors driving soil microbial diversity in urban ecosystems remain largely unclear. In this study, we examined soil bacterial diversity in Shanghai Haiwan Forest Park and evaluated its responses to various ecological management measures. The results indicated that the different ecological management measures significantly affected soil bacterial diversity and that soil physicochemical properties (e.g., pH and AP) were crucial factors influencing bacterial diversity. In addition, the responses of soil bacterial diversity to management measures were not immediately apparent, and further research is needed to uncover potential patterns. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the integration of microbial diversity into urban ecological management strategies for the development of more effective land-use planning and conservation policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 107682"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144146841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Particle tracking to assess safe fish transport through closed conduit components","authors":"Reilly X. Cox ,&nbsp;Lalantha Senevirathna ,&nbsp;Sean Mulligan ,&nbsp;Stefan Felder","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107677","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107677","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fish travelling through closed conduit systems experience a range of hydrodynamic effects which can influence fish wellbeing and consequently ecological restoration and conservation outcomes. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) models are a promising tool for assessing such effects to improve fish safety. In this study, Lagrangian sensors were used in a physical model, systematically testing hydrodynamic conditions in pipe components in conjunction with live fish tests of Australian silver perch (<em>Bidyanus bidyanus</em>) to determine safe fish transport thresholds and fish travel paths. CFD models of pipe components were validated using the Lagrangian sensor data and Discrete Phase Model (DPM) particles with good agreement of pressure and acceleration data. The implementation of a simple active particle function to represent fish movement greatly improved the particle paths in the model, matching trajectories of live fish transported through the pipe components. Utilising active paths, the CFD models identified additional hydrodynamic threshold values to prevent fish injury. CFD modelling of larger pipes suggested that closed conduit fish passage through full-scale pipes present similar risk to laboratory-scale tests. These findings show that CFD models will assist the sustainable design of closed conduit fishways, which can improve river connectivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 107677"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144115661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of a sludge treatment reed bed mesocosm under an arid and hot climate","authors":"Tahra Talib Al-Rashdi ,&nbsp;Mushtaque Ahmed ,&nbsp;Alexandros Stefanakis","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107676","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107676","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work is the first mesocosm study that evaluates the performance of sludge treatment reed beds (STRB) under hot and arid climatic conditions, focusing on the dewatering and mineralization of surplus activated sludge. Two mesocosms with and without plants were loaded with sludge at loading rate of 100 kg TS/m²/year and monitored for more than a year before the application of a one-month resting phase. The STRB showed higher sludge volume and total solids reduction than the unplanted drying bed, indicating enhanced dewatering capacity. The STRB achieved outstanding dewatering with more than 98 % of sludge volume reduction at the end of the study, with the total solids content exceeding 60 %. The STRB displayed a gradual mineralization of organic matter, as indicated by the reduction of the volatile solids from 73 % in the activated sludge to levels below 55 %. Metals in the residual sludge remained within national/international limits for sludge reuse in agriculture. Overall, the findings of this study highlight the efficiency and feasibility of STRB as a nature-based technology for sustainable sludge management sludge in arid and hot environments, affording valuable perspectives for real-world implementations and prospective expansion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 107676"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144070749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}