Unravelling the process of petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation in different filter materials of constructed wetlands by stable isotope fractionation and labelling studies

Maintaining and supporting complete biodegradation during remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater in constructed wetlands is vital for the final destruction and removal of contaminants. We aimed to compare and gain insight into biodegradation and explore possible limitations in different filter materials (sand, sand amended with biochar, expanded clay). These filters were collected from constructed wetlands after two years of operation and batch experiments were conducted using two stable isotope techniques; (i) carbon isotope labelling of hexadecane and (ii) hydrogen isotope fractionation of decane. Both hydrocarbon compounds hexadecane and decane were biodegraded. The mineralization rate of hexadecane was higher in the sandy filter material (3.6 µg CO(2) g(−1) day(−1)) than in the expanded clay (1.0 µg CO(2) g(−1) day(−1)). The microbial community of the constructed wetland microcosms was dominated by Gram negative bacteria and fungi and was specific for the different filter materials while hexadecane was primarily anabolized by bacteria. Adsorption / desorption of petroleum hydrocarbons in expanded clay was observed, which might not hinder but delay biodegradation. Very few cases of hydrogen isotope fractionation were recorded in expanded clay and sand & biochar filters during decane biodegradation. In sand filters, decane was biodegraded more slowly and hydrogen isotope fractionation was visible. Still, the range of observed apparent kinetic hydrogen isotope effects (AKIE(H) = 1.072–1.500) and apparent decane biodegradation rates (k = − 0.017 to − 0.067 day(−1)) of the sand filter were low. To conclude, low biodegradation rates, small hydrogen isotope fractionation, zero order mineralization kinetics and lack of microbial biomass growth indicated that mass transfer controlled biodegradation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10532-021-09942-1.