Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the potentials of beds vegetated with medicinal species (Brillantaisia bauchiensis and Polygonum salicifolium) in a constructed wetland for domestic wastewater treatment in the Western Highlands of Cameroon. The study was carried out between March and September 2017 on plants collected from a natural wetland in Penka-Michel. The two plants species selected based on their ethnobotanical importance were transplanted and allowed to grow to maturity in a prepared natural wetland at Penka-Michel and a constructed wetland for domestic wastewater treatment on the campus of the University of Dschang. Growth parameters were followed for the two plants species in both wetlands. The physicochemical parameters and faecal bacteria concentrations were measured only for the vegetated and non-vegetated/control beds in the constructed wetland. Overall, the two plants species showed increased growth in height, diameter, leaf number and plants density. The change in diameter and density were very significantly influenced by species type in the constructed wetland than in the natural wetland. Generally, plant growth in height, diameter and density were higher with B. bauchiensis in the constructed wetland than with P. salicifolium in both wetlands. The mean faecal bacteria removal was higher in the vegetated beds for some bacteria than in the non-vegetated/control bed. There was a significant difference in the reduction efficiency of TSS, turbidity, BOD, Faecal streptococci and Total coliforms bacteria between the inflow and the outflow of some treatment beds especially the bed vegetated with Brillantaisia bauchiensis. There were correlations between the two plants species as concerns increased plants height, diameter, leave number, shoot number and nutrients uptake in the constructed wetland beds compared with the natural wetland.
Highlights
The negative impact of the increase in world’s population from 6 billion in 2013 to over 7.5 billion people in 2018 with Africa having about 1.3 billion and 24.054 million people in Cameroon directly affects the environment
After one month of adaptation in the natural wetland, all the 45 plantlets of both plants species survived in the natural wetland while all 45 survived for Polygonum salicifolium and 43 for Brillantaisia bauchiensis survived after one month of domestication in the constructed wetland for wastewater treatment
It was shown that both plants species increased in growth parameters in both wetlands but B. bauchiensis in the constructed wetland was significantly higher than B. bauchiensis in the natural wetland and P. salicifolium from both wetlands
Summary
The negative impact of the increase in world’s population from 6 billion in 2013 to over 7.5 billion people in 2018 with Africa having about 1.3 billion and 24.054 million people in Cameroon directly affects the environment. Wetlands are vital and most biologically diversed forms of ecosystems that are transitional between terrestrial and aquatic environments supporting predominantly hydrophytes [5] [6] They serve as perennial sources of water, avenue for recreation, navigation, cattle grazing, resources for fuels, fodder, and habitat for wildlife. They harbour a huge number of medicinal plant species, and are ecologically very important filters of pollutants in solving the pollution problem by using adapted macrophytes to improve the quality of the wastewater and run offs that they receive [7] [8] [9] [10]. Wetland macrophytes are naturally adapted to an anoxic and hypoxic stress conditions by making atmospheric oxygen available through aerenchyma tissues at the rhizosphere [11]. Some wetland macrophytes like Echinochloa pyramidalis, E. crus-pavonis, Fuirena umbellata and Leersia hexandra amongst others have been tested for domestic wastewater treatment and these macrophytes under stress conditions of pollution produced high biomass in CW which can be valourised [12]-[17]
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