Abstract

Currently additional sustainable ways to mitigate the degradation of water quality are being researched all over the world. Phytoremediation is one of the serious efforts towards sustainability. The main objective of this study was to assess the rhizofiltration potential of water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), common duckweed (Lemna minor) and mosquito fern (Azolla pinnata) on the removal of total ammonia-nitrogen (TAN) in circular outdoor tanks. Physico-chemical water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature and pH were also monitored. It was observed that the mean initial TAN concentration in all treatments were statistically comparable. In the final TAN concentration, tank with L. minor had the highest TAN concentration which was significantly different to tanks with P. stratiotes and A. pinnata. Likewise, tanks with L. minor had the lowest removal efficiency. For the DO concentration, it was observed that DO in all treatments was depleted in the first one week of the study. However, on the ninth day of the study, DO started to rise. Tanks with P. stratiotes had shown the highest trend among treatments. Mean temperature and pH in all treatments were statistically comparable. For the relationship of root length and TAN removal efficiency of floating aquatic macrophytes, it was observed that there was a strong positive correlation. These results show that the utilization of these floating aquatic macrophytes as bioremediator in small-scale tilapia production are feasible. In addition, other physico-chemical water quality parameters such as phosphorus, total dissolved solids, alkalinity, hardness, nitrate, and nitrite can be conducted.

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