Comparative Phytoremediation Potential of <i>Eichhornia crassipes</i>, <i>Lemna minor</i>, and <i>Pistia stratiotes</i> in Two Treatment Facilities in Cluj County, Romania
Erzsebet Buta,
Ionuț Lucian Borșan,
Mariana Omotă,
Emil Bogdan Trif,
Claudiu Ioan Bunea,
Andrei Mocan,
Florin Dumitru Bora,
Sándor Rózsa,
Alexandru Nicolescu
Affiliations
Erzsebet Buta
Floriculture Department, Faculty of Horticulture and Business for Rural Development, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Mănăştur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ionuț Lucian Borșan
Laboratory for Water Analysis of the Sewage Treatment Station, Someș S.A. Water Company, 21 Decembrie 1989 Av. 79, 400604 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Mariana Omotă
Laboratory for Water Analysis of the Sewage Treatment Station, Someș S.A. Water Company, 21 Decembrie 1989 Av. 79, 400604 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Emil Bogdan Trif
Laboratory for Water Analysis of the Sewage Treatment Station, Someș S.A. Water Company, 21 Decembrie 1989 Av. 79, 400604 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Claudiu Ioan Bunea
Laboratory of Chromatography, Advanced Horticultural Research Institute of Transylvania, Faculty of Horticulture and Business for Rural Development, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Andrei Mocan
Laboratory of Chromatography, Advanced Horticultural Research Institute of Transylvania, Faculty of Horticulture and Business for Rural Development, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Florin Dumitru Bora
Laboratory of Chromatography, Advanced Horticultural Research Institute of Transylvania, Faculty of Horticulture and Business for Rural Development, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Sándor Rózsa
Advanced Horticultural Research Institute of Transylvania, Faculty of Horticulture and Business for Rural Development, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Alexandru Nicolescu
Laboratory of Chromatography, Advanced Horticultural Research Institute of Transylvania, Faculty of Horticulture and Business for Rural Development, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Phytoremediation is an effective method used to control the accumulation of certain contaminants found in industrial or city wastewater. Among the species with high efficacy are Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), Lemna minor (common duckweed), and Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce). In this study, the application of these species in the context of two municipal wastewater treatment facilities in Cluj County, Romania, is evaluated. To determine the efficacy of bioaccumulation, we measured the content of nitrogen species (ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrites, and nitrates), phosphorous, iron, and chromium before and after the addition of plant material to effluent and treated wastewater. The results showed that E. crassipes, L. minor, and P. stratiotes presented high phytoremediation yields for these common wastewater pollutants after one week of contact, with yields as high as 99–100% for ammoniacal nitrogen, 95% for phosphorous, 96% for iron, and 94% for chromium. However, the remediation capacity for nitrate and nitrite was less significant.
