Eichhornia crassipes and Nonwoven Fabric Filter for Eutrophic Water Decontamination

Abstract

ABSTRACT We tested the effects of the floating plant Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) and nonwoven filter for contaminant removal from eutrophic water. Four microcosms were designed for this purpose- (i) water hyacinth plus nonwoven filter; (ii) water hyacinth only; (iii) nonwoven filter only; and, (iv) control with neither water hyacinth nor nonwoven filter. The complex microcosm of water hyacinth and filter had significantly higher percentage removal of total phosphorus (TP) and chemical oxygen demand than found in the treatments without water hyacinth (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). The complex treatment of water hyacinth and filter maintained a neutral water pH, while pH values in the treatments without E. crassipes reached 10 or even higher within three-five days. The filter treatment eliminated about 60–80% of ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, TP, soluble phosphorus, and biochemical oxygen demand in three-six days. The complex treatment of water hyacinth and filter generally had higher removal rates than either the water hyacinth treatment or the filter treatment. These results suggest that interaction between floating plants and filter in the complex wetland can improve contaminant removal capacity.