Effect of Spathiphyllum blandum on the removal of ibuprofen and conventional pollutants from polluted river water, in fully saturated constructed wetlands at mesocosm level.

Florentina Zurita,Gregorio Fernández-Lambert,Jacel Adame-García,José Luis Marín-Muñíz,Luis Sandoval

doi:10.2166/wh.2020.232

Abstract

In this study, the effect of Spathiphyllum blandum on the removal of ibuprofen (IB) and conventional pollutants such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium (NH4 +-N), total phosphorus (TP), and total suspended solids (TSS) is reported; this, through its use as an emergent vegetation in fully saturated (FS) constructed wetlands (CWs) at mesocosm level treating polluted river water. With the exception of TP and COD, it was found that for TN (12%), NH4 +-N (11%), TSS (19%), and IB (23%), the removals in systems with vegetation were superior to systems without vegetation (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate the importance of the species S. blandum, in particular, for the removal of ibuprofen, which is an anti-inflammatory drug commonly found in effluents of wastewater treatment plants. Thus, the results obtained provide information that can be used for the design of future efficient large-scale systems using a new ornamental species, mainly under tropical climatic conditions.

Highlights

The use of pharmaceutical products in large quantities and their improper disposal have led them to be found in rivers, lakes, seas, wetlands, and groundwater (QuesadaPeñate et al ; Veras et al )
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of S. blandum on the removal of ibuprofen and conventional contaminants such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium (NH4þ-N), total phosphorus (TP), total suspended solids (TSS), in fully saturated (FS) constructed wetlands (CWs) at mesocosm level from polluted river water; this river receives discharges of untreated municipal wastewater
These units were established outdoors and each unit was filled with tezontle; five units were planted with S. blandum and five units remained without vegetation, as control systems

Summary

Introduction

The use of pharmaceutical products in large quantities and their improper disposal have led them to be found in rivers, lakes, seas, wetlands, and groundwater (QuesadaPeñate et al ; Veras et al ). Within the wide range of tropical ornamental vegetation, it has been found that the Sphathiphylum family adapts to the flood conditions that prevail in CWs. Zamora et al ( ) reported the use of Sphathiphylum wallissi in subsurface flow CWs for phosphorus and organic matter from community wastewater. Zamora et al ( ) reported the use of Sphathiphylum wallissi in subsurface flow CWs for phosphorus and organic matter from community wastewater For this reason, it is worth evaluating S. blandum, a species that grows faster than S. wallissi in the vicinity of natural aquatic bodies in rural areas in southeastern Mexico (Díaz-Jiménez et al ; Villaseñor ). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of S. blandum on the removal of ibuprofen and conventional contaminants such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium (NH4þ-N), total phosphorus (TP), total suspended solids (TSS), in fully saturated (FS) CWs at mesocosm level from polluted river water; this river receives discharges of untreated municipal wastewater

Objectives

Methods

Results