Phytoremediation efficiency of water hyacinth (E. crassipes), canna (C. indica) and duckweed (L. minor) plants in treatment of sewage water

Abstract

Due to the continuous increase in industrialisation and urbanization, wastewater has been released regularly into the environment in excess amount, causing noteworthy impacts on human and wild life. Management and eco-friendly treatment of the waste water whether industrial and domestic is the challenge of this century. In the present study an attempt has been made to treat the waste water using three aquatic macrophytes viz. water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), canna (Cana indica) and duckweed (Lemna minor) for assessing the potential of these plants in the treatment of sewage collected from drain located nearby Graphic Era University, Dehradun using phytoremediation technology on the basis of different physicochemical parameters such as pH, EC, DO, ORP, Salinity, TDS, BOD, COD, Hardness and Temperature. The study was divided into seven consecutive assessment periods of five days interval each. Highest removal was observed in the experiment containing canna in each parameters which suggest that in the present study canna (C. indica) was found most efficient plant in comparison to E. crassipes and L. minor. The capability of these plants in the treatment of wastewater was established from the study. For efficient water purification, it is recommended to remove the aquatic macrophytes from water bodies. If the harvesting of these aquatic macrophytes will not be performed properly, the vast majority of the nutrients that have been absorbed and stored into the plant tissue will released again into the water bodies due to decomposition of these macrophytes.

Keywords

• Harvesting
• Eichhornia crassipes
• IWMI
• O and M problem
• sullage