Water purification efficiency and resource utilization of three tuberous emergent aquatic plants

Abstract

Objective This study aims to investigate the purification capacity for nutrients in polluted water and the yield of tuber starch of three common tuberous aquatic plants, and estimate the feasibility and potential risk of starch resource utilization. Method Purification efficiency of Iris pseudacorus, Canna indica and Calla palustris for polluted water body was compared using hydroponic experiment, and three replicates were set for each group. No plant treatment was used as control group. Removal efficiency of ammonium nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus in water was investigated. The contents of nitrogen and phosphorus in plant roots, stems, leaves and tubers were analyzed. The content of starch and heavy metals including Cu, Zn, Cr and Pb in plant tubers were measured. Result When initial concentrations of ammonium nitrogen and total phosphorus were 7.37−7.53 and 0.41−0.45 mg·L−1, concentrations of ammonium nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus in plant treatment groups decreased to 0.01−0.07, 0.61−0.91, and 0.025−0.031 mg·L−1 respectively after 20 days of treatment, which met the Class Ⅲ standard for surface water environmental quality (GB 3838−2002). The starch extracted from tubers of I. pseudacorus, C. indica and C. palustris was 61.3, 14.1 and 64.0 g·kg−1, respectively. Starch yields of these plant species were 14.3, 1.2 and 2.6 kg·m−2 respectively in the 100 m2 trial plot. The tuber could accumulate heavy metals. As initial concentrations of Cu2+, Zn2+, Cr3+ and Pb2+ in water were 2.01−2.08, 2.56−2.87, 0.22−0.26, and 0.24−0.26 mg·L−1, the contents of Cu, Zn, Cr and Pb in tuber starch of I. pseudacorus were 10.30, 46.7, 12.03, and 1.74 mg·kg−1, respectively and those of C. indica were 12.68, 44.67, 8.15 and 1.32 mg·kg−1, respectively, while those of C. palustris were 19.28, 66.91, 9.63 and 3.97 mg·kg−1, respectively. Conclusion The three tuberous aquatic plants can effectively purify nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and recover a considerable amount of starch. However if heavy metals coexist in the polluted water, plant tubers are not recommended for resource utilization. [Ch, 4 fig. 17 ref.]