Phytoremediation Treatment of Farm Waste-Water by Selected Aquatic Plants

Abstract

Wastewater management has a direct impact on the biological diversity of aquatic ecosystems. Disrupting the fundamental integrity of our life support systems. When water bodies receive excess nutrients especially nitrates and phosphates, these nutrients can stimulate excessive plant growth, which causes eutrophication including algal blooms. Eutrophication leads to oxygen depletion, decreased biodiversity, changes in species composition and dominance, and a severe reduction in water quality. Aquatic plants grow profusely in lakes and waterways all over the world and in recent decades their negative effects have been magnified by man's intensive use of water bodies. Eradication of the weeds has proved almost impossible and even reasonable control is difficult. Turning these weeds to productive use would be desirable if it would partly offset the costs involved in mechanical removal. These aquatic plants were growing on the waste-water in different range.Amount of Nitrate, phosphate, EC, TDS, pH changes were estimated and analyzed. Through this experiment 87.5% of Nitrate, 67% of phosphate was absorbed by the aquatic plants and 25% reduction of Ec and TDS was observed and alkaline pH changes to neutral. <em>Duckweed </em>and <em>Water hyacinth </em>are high pollutant removal efficiency and highest survival among these aquatic plants. <em>Azolla </em>performs the considerable reduction than others plants. Whereas <em>Salvinia </em>performs the lowest reduction rate compared to other aquatic plants. In addition to that <em>hydrila </em>performs the high reduction of water pH. In this study phytoremediated waste-water, which consists permissible level of pollutants can be used for the irrigation of farm plants without any physiological stress.