Abstract
onstructed wetland applications have been limited by a large land requirement and capital investment. This study aimed to improve a shallow pond water hyacinth system by incorporating the advantages of engineered attached microbial growth technique (termed Bio-hedge) for on-site domestic wastewater treatment. A laboratory scale continuous-flow system consists of the mesh type matrix providing an additional biofilm surface area of 54 m2/m3. Following one year of experimentation, the process showed more stability and enhanced performance in removing organic matter and nutrients, compared to traditional water hyacinth (by lowering 33%–67% HRT) and facultative (by lowering 92%–96% HRT) ponds. The wastewater exposed plants revealed a relative growth rate of 1.15% per day, and no anatomical deformities were observed. Plant nutrient level averaged 27 ± 1.7 and 44 ± 2.3 mg N/g dry weight, and 5 ± 1.4 & 9±1.2 mg P/g dry weight in roots and shoots, respectively. Microorganisms immobilized on Bio-hedge media (4.06 × 107 cfu/cm2) and plant roots (3.12 × 104 cfu/cm) were isolated and identified (a total of 23 strains). The capital cost was pre-estimated for 1 m3/d wastewater at 78 US$/m3inflow and 465 US$/kg BOD5 removed. This process is a suitable ecotechnology due to improved biofilm formation, reduced footprint, energy savings, and increased quality effluent.
Highlights
Municipal wastewater discharge, i.e., sewerage, is one of the most serious threats to the ecosystem.the sewage needs to be treated appropriately before the wastewater can be released into the environment [1]
The results suggest that the present system has a high oxygen rich zone, facilitating growth of the aerobic microorganisms
The study highlights the performance of an improved water hyacinth phytoremediation system coupled with attached microbial growth in a domestic wastewater treatment
Summary
I.e., sewerage, is one of the most serious threats to the ecosystem.the sewage needs to be treated appropriately before the wastewater can be released into the environment [1]. The application of constructed wetlands (with rooted, emergent and free-floating aquatic plants), and facultative ponds treating domestic sewage have attracted considerable attention because they offer an environmentally sound approach [3,4,5,6]. Among the free-floating species, the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) appears to be a promising candidate for pollutant removal owing to its rapid growth rate and extensive root system [10,11,12]. Despite the efforts made worldwide, the construction of aquatic systems, the water hyacinth treatment process, has not gained much popularity due to the requirement of a large land area and considerable capital investment [5]
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