Heavy Metals Removal from Domestic Sewage in Batch Mesocosm Constructed Wetlands using Tropical Wetland Plants

Abstract

Constructed wetlands are an affordable and reliable green alternative to conventional mechanical systems for treating domestic sewage. This study investigates the potential of 14 tropical wetland plant species for removing heavy metals from domestic sewage through the bioconcentration factor (BCF), translocation factor (TF), enrichment factor (EF), and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) using batch mesocosm studies. Plants with BCF > 1 and TF > 1 are classified as phytoextractors, while species with BCF > 1 and TF geo indices. Based on the factors and indices, it is suggested that the plants may have facilitated heavy metal removal from domestic sewage through uptake into the plant tissues from the roots.

Keywords

• mesocosm study
• tropical wetland plants
• domestic sewage
• heavy metals removal
• phytoremediation
• constructed wetland