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Wetlands have long played a significant role as natural purification systems, and have been effectively used to treat domestic, agricultural and industrial wastewater. However, very little is known about the biochemical processes involved, and the use of constructed treatment wetlands in the removal of petroleum aromatic hydrocarbons from produced and/or processed water. Wastewaters from the oil industry contain aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (ortho, meta and para isomers), which are highly soluble, neurotoxic and cause cancer. The components of the hydrocarbon and the processes of its transformation, metabolism and degradation are complex, the mechanisms of treatment within constructed wetlands are not yet entirely known. This has limited the effective application of this sustainable technology...