Comparative Assessment of Treatment of Mushroom Farm Wastewater Using Plant (<i>Ceratophyllum demersum</i> L.) and Algae (<i>Chlorella vulgaris</i>): Experimental and Kinetic Studies
Ivan Širić,
Mostafa A. Taher,
Pankaj Kumar,
Sami Abou Fayssal,
Rakesh Kumar Bachheti,
Boro Mioč,
Željko Andabaka,
Jogendra Singh,
Ebrahem M. Eid
Affiliations
Ivan Širić
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mostafa A. Taher
Biology Department, Faculty of Science and Arts, King Khalid University, Mohail Assir 61321, Saudi Arabia
Pankaj Kumar
Agro-Ecology and Pollution Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology and Environmental Science, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to Be University), Haridwar 249404, India
Sami Abou Fayssal
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Forestry, 10 Kliment Ohridski Blvd, 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria
Rakesh Kumar Bachheti
Department of Industrial Chemistry, College of Applied Sciences, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 16417, Ethiopia
Boro Mioč
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Željko Andabaka
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Jogendra Singh
Agro-Ecology and Pollution Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology and Environmental Science, Gurukula Kangri (Deemed to Be University), Haridwar 249404, India
Mushroom cultivation produces a significant amount of wastewater containing high levels of both organic and inorganic contaminants. In this study, mushroom farm wastewater (MFW) was treated separately by aquatic macrophytes (Ceratophyllum demersum L.) and algae (Chlorella vulgaris). The laboratory experiments consisted of a constructed reactor planted with selected aquatic plants and a microalgal culture and operated for 16 days. The pollutant removal efficiency was evaluated using different experimental combinations such as control 1 (C. demersum using borewell water), control 2 (C. vulgaris using borewell water), T1 (C. demersum using MFW), and T2 (C. vulgaris using MFW), respectively. The results showed that the T1 treatment had the highest significant (p R2 > 0.8317) and the maximum rate constant (k) of pollutant reduction in T1 treatment. In addition, the growth, biochemical, and proximate parameters of both C. demersum and C. vulgaris were highest in the same treatment. Therefore, the proposed experiment offers a promising approach for the efficient and environmentally friendly treatment of MFW.
