Purification of artificial complex ecosystem for local water in Taihu Lake

An artificial complex ecosystem (ACE) is built with aquatic macrophytes of various ecological group, rhizosphere bacteria and other organism in a bay of Taihu Lake. Its area is about 200 m2. The purification efficiency of the ACE is evaluated by dynamic simulation test. The result shows that the eutrophic water of Taihu Lake can be purified effectively as it pass through ACE. The purified water is drawn out from ACE by a pump at the pumping capacity of 42.67 m3/d. The removal efficiencies of ACE for algal biomass, NH4+-N, TN, TP and PO43--P are 58%, 66%, 60%, 72% and 80%, respectively. Comparing with the tap water of the local water plant, the mean values of NH4+-N and TN of the ACE effluent are low by 45% and 37%, respectively. For the effluent of ACE, the water quality is significantly better than that for the raw water (inflow) and for the tap water of the local water plant. Results demonstrate that the eutrophic lake water can indeed purify by ACE.