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Research on Interception and Purification of Agricultural Non-point Source Phosphorus Pollution by Vegetative Filter Strips
XU Xue-ting, WANG Kai, WANG Wan-zhong, KONG Ming, ZHU Yan-zhong
Journal of Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute ›› 2026, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (11) : 69-75.
PDF(6236 KB)
PDF(6236 KB)
Research on Interception and Purification of Agricultural Non-point Source Phosphorus Pollution by Vegetative Filter Strips
[Objective] Vegetative filter strips (VFS) are important end-of-pipe measures for reducing agricultural non-point source phosphorus (P) pollution, but their optimal interception effect is not achieved due to unreasonable layout in practical applications. This study aims to systematically clarify the interception and purification mechanisms of VFS on different forms of P, analyze the key influencing factors of interception efficiency, sort out the advantages, disadvantages and application status of existing research methods, and point out the deficiencies of current research and future research directions, so as to provide theoretical support and practical reference for the scientific layout and efficient application of VFS in China. [Methods] A comprehensive literature review was conducted from peer-reviewed articles, government reports, and model documentation published from 1995 to 2026. First, the current situation of agricultural non-point source P pollution and the role of VFS in P interception were sorted out, and the differences in interception mechanisms between particulate phosphorus (PP) and dissolved phosphorus (DP) were analyzed. Then, the effects of external conditions (rainfall intensity, slope, runoff inflow) and VFS characteristics (vegetation type, vegetation density, VFS width) on P interception efficiency were analyzed. Finally, two major research methods (artificial monitoring and model simulation) were compared. [Results] (1) The interception of PP by VFS is mainly based on physical processes, with a stable removal rate of 40%~100%, and more than 95% of the cases have a removal rate over 50%. VFS width is the most important factor affecting PP interception efficiency: the removal rate is 31% when width is 2 m, 89% when width is 15 m, and 30 m is the optimal width for PP interception. Among different vegetation types, forest VFS has the best PP removal efficiency, followed by grassland VFS, whereas shrub VFS has the worst. The interception of DP by VFS is mainly based on biochemical processes, and its removal rate fluctuates greatly (-83%~95%), which is affected by soil adsorption/desorption, plant and microbial absorption, and seasonal changes. The absorption efficiency of plants for DP is the highest in the early growth stage and during the growing season, and the forest VFS has a 40% (±13%) higher DP interception efficiency than the herbaceous VFS.(2) Among the research methods, field monitoring can reflect the actual interception situation but is difficult to control variables and has high cost; indoor monitoring can conduct refined research with controllable variables but has certain errors in practical application. Empirical statistical models have high simulation accuracy under specific conditions but poor universality; mechanistic models can simulate pollution loss and degradation processes at different scales but have many parameters and difficulties in localization. Common mechanistic models such as CREAMS, VFSMOD-W and REMM are applicable to field scales, but have their own limitations in parameter setting and application scope. [Conclusions] The innovation of this study lies in systematically sorting out the differences in interception mechanisms between different forms of P, clarifying the key influencing factors of VFS interception efficiency, and comprehensively comparing the applicable scenarios and limitations of various research methods, which makes up for the lack of systematic summary of VFS research in China. In future, research should focus on three aspects: pollutants, influencing factors and models, strengthen basic research, solve the key problems of VFS application in China, and promote the efficient play of VFS in the comprehensive management of water resources, water environment and water ecology.
vegetative filter strips / agricultural non-point source pollution / phosphorus loss / interception mechanism / numerical simulation
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Managed riparian forest buffers are an important conservation practice but there are little data on the water quality effects of buffer management. We measured surface runoff volumes and nutrient concentrations and loads in a riparian buffer system consisting of (moving down slope from the field) a grass strip, a managed forest, and an unmanaged forest. The managed forest consisted of sections of clear-cut, thinned, and mature forest. The mature forest had significantly lower flow-weighted concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, total Kjeldahl N (TKN), sediment TKN, total N (nitrate + TKN), dissolved molybdate reactive P (DMRP), total P, and chloride. The average buffer represented the conditions along a stream reach with a buffer system in different stages of growth. Compared with the field output, flow-weighted concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, DMRP, and total P decreased significantly within the buffer and flow-weighted concentrations of TKN, total N, and chloride increased significantly within the buffer. All loads decreased significantly from the field to the middle of the buffer, but most loads increased from the middle of the buffer to the sampling point nearest the stream because surface runoff volume increased near the stream. The largest percentage reduction of the incoming nutrient load (at least 65% for all nutrient forms) took place in the grass buffer zone because of the large decrease (68%) in flow. The average buffer reduced loadings for all nutrient species, from 27% for TKN to 63% for sediment P. The managed forest and grass buffer combined was an effective buffer system.
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It is an important branch of erosion research to control soil erosion on eroded gullies and slopes by using vegetation filter strip. Several simulated rainfall experiments were carried out in soil tanks filled with loess sandy loam taken from a typical eroded gully area with less vegetation coverage in Yanghe hilly basin in Xuanhua District, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province. The soil and water conservation effects of two different vegetation setting modes were compared under the same vegetation strip width and different rainfall intensities and slopes. During the rainfall process, the changes of runoff and sediment yield and nutrient loss were not stable, but the same erosion index had similar variation trends under different combinations of rainfall intensity, slope and vegetation coverage. Multiple regression results showed that runoff and sediment production in eroded gully can be effectively reduced through vegetation filter strips, which are jointly affected by rainfall intensity and slope. There was no significant difference in the amount of runoff and sediment yield between the two vegetation setting modes. Rainfall intensity and slope gradient showed different strengths of impact on nutrient loss. Through cluster analysis, the results showed that the impacts of rainfall intensity, slope gradient and vegetation setting modes on soil and water loss on slope can be equal or offset. In general, setting vegetation filter strips can offset the effects of rainfall intensity and slope, but vegetation regulation of erosion was not obvious under extreme rainfall and steep slope conditions. What’s more, rainfall intensity had a dominant effect on erosion. The results in this research may provide reference for practical application of vegetation filter strips on eroded slopes.
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植被过滤带能有效拦截坡面径流泥沙,在防治水土流失和农业面源污染等方面具有重大潜力.为探讨不同入流条件下植被过滤带对坡面径流氮、磷的拦截效果及其水动力学机理,本研究通过模拟上方来水冲刷试验,定量分析了上方来水流量、氮磷含量浓度等因素影响下植被过滤带对径流氮、磷的拦截规律及其与径流水动力学参数之间的关系.结果表明: 植被过滤带能有效拦截上方来水中氮、磷等污染物,入流流量分别为200、400、600 L·h-1时,模拟植被过滤带对总氮的拦截率分别为74.9%、62.0%、58.3%,对总磷拦截率分别为85.0%、75.6%、72.0%,在上方来水流量较低时拦截效果最优;上方来水入流氮、磷浓度变化对植被过滤带拦截效率的影响不显著.不同入流条件处理下,植被过滤带对氮、磷的拦截率随弗洛德数增大而增大,呈显著线性正相关关系;与阻力系数、水流剪切力、水流功率呈线性负相关关系;其中,氮、磷拦截率与水流剪切力的相关关系最优,可以用含水流剪切力的公式表征植被过滤带对氮、磷的拦截效率.
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The vegetative filter strips can effectively intercept erosion of water and sediment on the slope, with huge potential to prevent and control soil erosion and agricultural non-point source pollution. A series of muddy water scouring experiments under different inflow conditions in the indoor soil trays were conducted to investigate the effects of vegetative filter strip (VFS) on intercepting nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) under different inflow conditions and its internal hydrological responses. The results showed that the VFS could effectively intercept N and P in the runoff. When the inflow was 200, 400, 600 L·h-1, the intercepting rates were 74.9%, 62.0%, 58.3% for N and 85.0%, 75.6%, 72.0% for P, respectively. The best intercepting effect occurred at the lower inflow rates. Different inflow N and P concentrations had no significant effect on N and P interception efficiency. Under different inflow conditions, the intercepting rates of N and P by VFS increased with the increases of Froude value with a significant linear positive correlation. However, there were linear negative correlations between the intercepting rate and resistance coefficient, shear stress and stream power. The relationship between the N and P intercepting rates and shear stress was the best among others, and the N and P intercepting rates could be well predicted by a formula containing shear stress.
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Vegetated filter strips (VFS) are used recently for removal, at or near the source, of sediment and sediment-bound chemicals from cropland runoff. Vegetation within the flowpath increases water infiltration and decreases water turbulence, thus enhancing pollutant removal by sedimentation within filter media and infiltration through the filter surface. Field experiments have been conducted to examine the efficiency of vegetated filter strips for phosphorus removal from cropland runoff with 20 filters with varying length (2 to 15 m), slope (2.3 and 5%), and vegetated cover, including bare-soil plots as control. Artificial runoff used in this study had an average phosphorus concentration of 2.37 mg L(-1) and a sediment concentration of 2700 mg L(-1). The average phosphorus trapping efficiency of all vegetated filters was 61% and ranged from 31% in a 2-m filter to 89% in a 15-m filter. Filter length has been found to be the predominant factor affecting P trapping in VFS. The rate of inflow, type of vegetation, and density of vegetation coverage had secondary influences on P removal. Short filters (2 and 5 m), which are somewhat effective in sediment removal, are much less effective in P removal. Increasing the filter length beyond 15 m is ineffective in enhancing sediment removal but is expected to further enhance P removal. Sediment deposition, infiltration, and plant adsorption are the primary mechanisms for phosphorus trapping in VFS.
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Diffuse pollution remains a major threat to surface waters due to eutrophication caused by phosphorus (P) transfer from agricultural land. Vegetated buffer strips (VBSs) are increasingly used to mitigate diffuse P losses from agricultural land, having been shown to reduce particulate P transfer. However, retention of dissolved P (DP) has been lower, and in some cases VBSs have increased delivery to surface waters. The aims of this review were (i) to develop a conceptual model to enhance the understanding of VBS functioning in terms of DP, (ii) to identify key processes within the model that affect DP retention and delivery, and (iii) to explore evidence for the controls on these processes. A greater understanding in these areas will allow the development of management strategies that enhance DP retention. We found evidence of a surface layer in buffer strip soils that is enriched in soluble P compared with adjacent agricultural land and may be responsible for the reported increased DP delivery. Through increased biological activity in VBSs, plants and microorganisms may assimilate P from particulates retained in the VBSs or native soil P and remobilize this P in a more soluble form. These conclusions are based on a limited amount of research, and a better understanding of biogeochemical cycling of P in buffer strip soils is required.Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.
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Phosphorus (P) losses from nonpoint sources into surface water resources through surface runoff and tile drainage play a significant role in eutrophication. Accordingly, the number of studies involving the modeling of agricultural P losses, the uncertainties of such models, and the best management practices (BMPs) supported by the modeling of hypothetical P loss reduction scenarios has increased significantly around the world. Many improvements have been made to these models: separate manure P pools, variable source areas allowing the determination of critical source areas of P loss, analyses of modeling uncertainties, and understanding of legacy P. However, several elements are still missing or have yet to be sufficiently addressed: the incorporation of preferential flow into models, the modification of P sorption-desorption processes considering recent research data (e.g., pedotransfer functions for labile, active, or stable P, along with P sorption coefficients), BMP parameterization, and scale-up issues, as well as stakeholder-scientist and experimentalist-modeler interactions. The accuracy of P loss modeling can be improved by (a) incorporating dynamic P sorption-desorption processes and new P subroutines for direct P loss from manure, fertilizer, and dung, (b) modeling preferential flow, connectivity between field and adjacent water bodies, and P in-stream processes, (c) including an assessment of model uncertainty, (d) integrating field and watershed models for BMP calibration and scaling field results up to larger areas, and (e) building a holistic interaction between stakeholders, experimentalists, and modelers.© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Environmental Quality published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
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Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic experiments were carried out during phosphate adsorption on highly crystalline gibbsite, poorly crystalline 2-line-ferrihydrite and amorphous iron-aluminum-hydroxide mixtures in the molar ratio 1:0, 10:1, 5:1, 1:1, 1:5, 1:10 and 0:1. The OH stretching vibrational bands were utilized to analyze changes in structural and surface OH groups during adsorption, because the position of characteristic PO vibrational bands can shift depending on reaction conditions, pH or adsorbed phosphate content. Adsorption and desorption kinetics were studied at pH6 and different initial phosphate concentrations to achieve varying phosphate coverage on the mineral surfaces. For gibbsite the formation of AlHPO and AlHPO can be assumed, while for ferrihydrite, a FeHPO or FePO complex and the precipitation of FePO with longer equilibration time were proposed. FeHPO or a FePO surface complex was deduced for Fe-hydroxides, an AlHPO surface complex was identified for Al-hydroxide, and both displayed either hydrogen bonds to neighboring hydroxyl groups or hydrogen bonds to outer-sphere complexes. Fe:Al-hydroxide mixtures with high Al ratios showed a low phosphate desorption rate, while ferrihydrite and the Fe:Al-hydroxide mixtures with high Fe ratios had almost negligible desorption rates. It was concluded that within the weakly associated amorphous FeO(OH) materials, FePO precipitated, which was bound by outer-sphere hydrogen bonds. With high Al ratios, desorption increased, which indicated weaker phosphate binding of both inner-sphere and outer-sphere complexes and hence, either no or minor quantities of precipitate. Ferrihydrite showed a more rigid structure and a lower extent of precipitation compared to amorphous Fe-hydroxide.Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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A vegetated filter strip (VFS) is a measure commonly implemented in agricultural landscapes for the purpose of improving water quality. However, much of the evidence to support their effectiveness comes from warm regions dominated by rainfall driven runoff. This study assessed the performance of VFS plots and compared them with annual crop strips to reduce phosphorus (P) levels in runoff in the cold climate of the Canadian Prairies. Analysis of water samples from 22 events during the study indicated no significant difference in the inflow and outflow concentrations of total dissolved P (TDP) or total P (TP) for either the VFS or the annual crop strips. Although the VFS plots had little effect on TDP or TP during the spring, they performed better during the growing season, reducing mean TP concentrations in five out of seven, or 71%, of these events. The VFS plots did not perform as well during the fall events, with the overall mean TP concentration in runoff increasing after flowing through the filters during this time period.© 2019 The Author(s).
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Vegetated buffers are a well-studied and widely used agricultural management practice for reducing nonpoint-source pollution. A wealth of literature provides experimental data on their mitigation efficacy. This paper aggregated many of these results and performed a meta-analysis to quantify the relationships between pollutant removal efficacy and buffer width, buffer slope, soil type, and vegetation type. Theoretical models for removal efficacy (Y) vs. buffer width (w) were derived and tested against data from the surveyed literature using statistical analyses. A model of the form Y = K x (1-e(-bxw)), (0 < K < or = 100) successfully captured the relationship between buffer width and pollutant removal, where K reflects the maximum removal efficacy of the buffer and b reflects its probability to remove any single particle of pollutant in a unit distance. Buffer width alone explains 37, 60, 44, and 35% of the total variance in removal efficacy for sediment, pesticides, N, and P, respectively. Buffer slope was linearly associated with sediment removal efficacy either positively (when slope < or = 10%) or negatively (when slope > 10%). Buffers composed of trees have higher N and P removal efficacy than buffers composed of grasses or mixtures of grasses and trees. Soil drainage type did not show a significant effect on pollutant removal efficacy. Based on our analysis, a 30-m buffer under favorable slope conditions (approximately 10%) removes more than 85% of all the studied pollutants. These models predicting optimal buffer width/slope can be instrumental in the design, implementation, and modeling of vegetated buffers for treating agricultural runoff.
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The Riparian Ecosystem Management Model (REMM) was developed, calibrated and validated for both hydrologic and water quality data for eight riparian buffers located in a formerly glaciated watershed (upper Pawcatuck River Watershed, Rhode Island) of the US Northeast. The Annualized AGricultural Non-Point Source model (AnnAGNPS) was used to predict the runoff and sediment loading to the riparian buffer. Overall, results showed REMM simulated water table depths (WTDs) and groundwater NO3-N concentrations at the stream edge (Zone 1) in good agreement with measured values. The model evaluation statistics showed that, hydrologically REMM performed better for site 1, site 4, and site 8 among the eight buffers, whereas REMM simulated better groundwater NO3-N concentrations in the case of site 1, site 5, and site 7 when compared to the other five sites. The interquartile range of mean absolute error for WTDs was 3.5 cm for both the calibration and validation periods. In the case of NO3-N concentrations prediction, the interquartile range of the root mean square error was 0.25 mg/L and 0.69 mg/L for the calibration and validation periods, respectively, whereas the interquartile range of d for NO3-N concentrations was 0.20 and 0.48 for the calibration and validation period, respectively. Moreover, REMM estimation of % N-removal from Zone 3 to Zone 1 was 19.7%, and 19.8% of N against actual measured 19.1%, and 26.6% of N at site 7 and site 8, respectively. The sensitivity analyses showed that changes in the volumetric water content between field capacity and saturation (soil porosity) were driving water table and denitrification.
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