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Integrated vertical flow constructed wetland (IVCW) is a new type of ecological wastewater treatment, and its internal hydrodynamic characteristics are crucial for the efficiency of pollutant removal. To enhance the hydrodynamic characteristics and pollutant removal efficiency of IVCWs, this study systematically investigated the influence mechanisms of substrate arrangement, layer thickness ratio, and hydraulic load on the internal flow field and hydrodynamic characteristics of the IVCW system using CFD technology. Based on these findings, an optimized IVCW system was proposed, and its pollutant removal performance was examined through field measurements. The results showed that the highest hydraulic efficiency within the system (λ = 0.835) was achieved when the substrate was arranged in descending order of resistance coefficient from top to bottom (medium, high, low), with a layer thickness ratio of 1:4:1 and a hydraulic load of 0.7 m/d. Compared to the control group, the optimized IVCW exhibited significantly higher average removal rates for COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), TP (Total Phosphorus), and TN (Total Nitrogen).This study provides technical support for the improvement and application of the IVCW system and holds significant implications for ecological wastewater treatment.

Vertical flow assays (VFAs) demonstrate faster operation, higher sensitivity, and multiplexing capabilities compared with traditional diagnostic platforms.Recent advances in VFAs are driven by the growing demand for rapid, scalable, and reliable tools for point-of-care testing.Emerging applications, including nucleic acid detection, fluorescence assays, and whole-blood testing, are expanding the diagnostic utility of VFAs in clinical, food, and environmental fields.Integration with smartphones and digital health platforms enables real-time data acquisition and remote diagnostics using VFAs.These innovations establish VFAs as affordable, portable, and adaptable next-generation tools for global diagnostic needs. Vertical flow assays (VFAs) have emerged as efficient diagnostic tools for point-of-care testing, offering rapid detection, high sensitivity, and multiplexing capabilities. By addressing key limitations of lateral flow assays, such as low specificity and cross-reactivity, VFAs enable simultaneous detection of multiple targets with improved accuracy and lower detection limits. Their applications span clinical diagnostics, pathogen detection, food safety, and agriculture. Recent advances, including smartphone integrations and innovations in pathogen, nucleic acid, and biomarker detection, have expanded their utility. With advantages like low cost, ease of use, and adaptability, VFAs are well suited for resource-limited settings. This review summarizes the current progress in VFA technology and discusses its future perspectives in advancing rapid, accessible diagnostics across various fields. Vertical flow assays (VFAs) have emerged as efficient diagnostic tools for point-of-care testing, offering rapid detection, high sensitivity, and multiplexing capabilities. By addressing key limitations of lateral flow assays, such as low specificity and cross-reactivity, VFAs enable simultaneous detection of multiple targets with improved accuracy and lower detection limits. Their applications span clinical diagnostics, pathogen detection, food safety, and agriculture. Recent advances, including smartphone integrations and innovations in pathogen, nucleic acid, and biomarker detection, have expanded their utility. With advantages like low cost, ease of use, and adaptability, VFAs are well suited for resource-limited settings. This review summarizes the current progress in VFA technology and discusses its future perspectives in advancing rapid, accessible diagnostics across various fields.

Alternative to conventional (i.e., the commonly used biological plants) wastewater treatment systems are presented which are appropriate for small communities and settlements. These systems are the natural treatment systems. The emphasis here is given on vertical downflow flow constructed wetlands (VF CWs). First, advantages and disadvantages of these systems are presented compared to conventional systems. Applications in treating different types of wastewaters and various pollutants are summarized. Components, treatment processes and performance are also presented. General description of facility compartments, layout and operation is given. Design guidelines on recommended unit areas, organic loading rates and hydraulic loading rates from various EU countries for VF CW systems used in municipal wastewater treatment, and data on the efficiency of such systems are also presented. Maintenance and operation issues are discussed. Finally, investment and operation and maintenance costs are addressed based on data from full-scale facilities.

This study presents a novel approach for the automatic optimization of sizing French vertical flow wetlands, a widely used solution in wastewater treatment across France, with over 6,000 operational units. By leveraging a comprehensive database collected by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), we have developed robust regression models that link total Kjeldahl nitrogen to surface and total chemical oxygen demand to material depth. By integrating these models into a unified optimization framework, our methodology enhances the design of the entire treatment train, particularly addressing how the sizing of the first stage influences the second stage sizing while complying with stringent effluent quality standards. Extensive validation confirms the effectiveness and reliability of our approach, which is tailored to specific influent characteristics and regulatory requirements. Our strategy improves upon traditional sizing methods, which often rely on surface loads, by allowing for refined optimization based on specific performance targets. The findings contribute to improved design practices and suggest potential directions for future developments, including the integration of additional treatment processes and multi-criteria decision analysis for broader applicability in wastewater management.

The environmental problems related to rural domestic sewage treatment are becoming increasingly serious, and society is also concerned about them. A baffled vertical flow constructed wetland (BVFCW) is a good choice for cleaning wastewater. Herein, a drinking-water treatment sludge-BVFCW (D-BVFCW) parallel with ceramsite-BVFCW (C-BVFCW) planted with Oenanthe javanica (O. javanica) to treat rural domestic sewage was investigated, aiming to compare nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency in different BVFCWs. A removal of 23.9% NH4+-N, 24.6% total nitrogen (TN) and 76.7% total phosphorus (TP) occurred simultaneously in the D-BVFCW; 56.4% NH4+-N, 60.8% TN and 55.2% TP respectively in the C-BVFCW. The root and plant height increased by an average of 7.9 cm and 8.3 cm, respectively, in the D-BVFCW, and by 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm, respectively, in the C-BVFCW. These results demonstrate that the D-BVFCW and C-BVFCW have different effects on the removal of N and P. The D-BVFCW mainly removed P, while C-BVFCW mainly removed N.

Operation conditions considerably affect the removal efficiency of wastewater treatment systems, and yet we still lack data on how these systems function under extreme dilution rates and climatic conditions at high altitudes. Here, we applied two modified First-Stage French Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands (FS-FVFCWs) for sewage treatment in Northern Tropical Andes. Specifically, within 18 months, we conducted a pilot-scale experiment at two hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) of 0.94 and 0.56 m d−1, representing 2.5 and 1.5 times the recommended design values, with two different feeding/resting periods to investigate the impact of HLRs and operational strategy on system performance. We found that chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) removal was satisfactory, with average values of 53 ± 18 and 69 ± 16%, respectively. Moreover, reducing HLRs resulted in higher removal efficiency for COD, from 46 ± 15 to 64 ± 15%, but had no impact on TSS removal, with 3 days of feeding and 6 days of resting. For an equal time of feeding and resting, COD and TSS removals were not affected by the modified HLR. These findings suggest that high HLRs can be applied to FS-FVFCW without compromising the system operation and obtaining satisfactory results, leading to opportunities to reduce areas and costs.

The focus of this work is toward the development of a point-of-care (POC) handheld technology for the noninvasive early detection of salivary biomarkers. The initial of focus was the detection and quantification of S100 calcium-binding protein P (S100P) mRNA found in whole saliva for use as a potential biomarker for oral cancer. Specifically, a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based approach and assay were designed, developed, and tested for sensitive and rapid detection of S100P mRNA. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were conjugated with oligonucleotides and malachite green isothiocyanate was then used as a Raman reporter molecule. The hybridization of S100P target to DNA-conjugated AuNPs in sandwich assay format in both free solution and a vertical flow chip (VFC) was confirmed using a handheld SERS system. The detection limit of the SERS-based assay in free solution was determined to be 1.1 nM, whereas on the VFC the detection limit was observed to be 10 nM. SERS-based VFCs were also used to quantify the S100P mRNA from saliva samples of oral cancer patients and a healthy group. The result indicated that the amount of S100P mRNA detected for the oral cancer patients is three times higher than that of a healthy group.

Water scarcity in Jordan is becoming more severe with time, which resulted in an indispensable need for economic innovative approaches to maximize the utilization of nonconventional water resources through reuse options. Within the framework of the current study, a novel vertical flow constructed wetland system was implemented for greywater treatment in four different rural areas in Jordan. In this paper, the primary objective was to develop a regression-based nonlinear model to predict BOD effluent concentration from the proposed system. The model obeyed the first-order kinetics and found to provide an efficient tool in predicting the effluent BOD value as exemplified by an R2 of 0.78. Moreover, a cost analysis was carried out to verify the feasibility of the proposed system. The economic results revealed a NPV range of 295–1209 JOD (420–1730 $), IRR range of 6–10.7%, and a payback period range of 8.8–15.5 years. The average calculated costs of greywater treatment using the VFCWs were found to be 0.391 (USD/m3 treated) and 0.672 (USD/kg BOD removed). Finally, the energy saving from using the proposed system was quantified and an estimate of 70 JOD (100$ )/year household was obtained.

Vertical flow assays have been developed in recent years addressing limitations of the lateral flow assays, including limited multiplexing capability, quantitation, and hook effect. In the present study, the first passive paper-based vertical flow assay is developed for the detection of the nucleic acid target. Horseradish peroxidase was used as an enzymatic tracer with a high potential for signal amplification. In order to achieve the best signal-to-noise ratio, different parameters of paper-based assays were optimized. The sample is heat denatured and hybridized with a specific probe to form a dual-labeled hybridization complex. A small volume of diluted sample, 12 µl, can be analyzed within 6 min on the assay in a sandwich format. Assay specificity was evaluated by testing different unrelated samples, and also, 1.7 nM was obtained as the limit of detection (LOD) using the 0 + 3SD method, which is equivalent to 8.5 fmol of double-stranded DNA in the 12 µl sample volume. The linear range of 3–194 nM with a 0.978 correlation coefficient was obtained according to the calibration curve. The developed assay was evaluated with 45 hepatitis B virus clinical plasma samples, and the result showed 100% consistency of the assay with the real-time PCR benchmark. In the present study, we sought to develop a mere detection system for nucleic acid targets, and to investigate the possibility of using enzyme reporter in a passive vertical flow assay.

The main approach for designing vertical flow (VF) treatment wetlands is based on areal requirements ranging from 2 to 4 m2 per person equivalent (PE). Other design parameters are the granularity of the filter material, filter depth, hydraulic and organic loading rates, loading intervals, amount of single doses as well as the number of openings in the distribution pipes. The influence of these parameters is investigated by running simulations using the HYDRUS Wetland Module for three VF wetlands with different granularity of the filter material (0.06–4 mm, 1–4 mm, and 4–8 mm, respectively). For each VF wetland, simulations are carried out at different temperatures for different organic loading rates, loading intervals and number of distribution points. Using coarser filter material results in reduced removal of pollutants and higher effluent concentrations if VF wetlands are operated under the same conditions. However, the treatment efficiency can be increased by applying more loadings and/or a higher density of the distribution network. For finer filter material, longer loading intervals are suggested to guarantee sufficient aeration of the VF filter between successive loadings.