Utilization of Aquatic Plants as Phytoremediation Agents of Tofu Liquid Waste

Abstract

The tofu industry produces a lot of tofu liquid waste and has the potential to cause waters to be toxic and dangerous for the life of the biota aquatic. This research uses a phytoremediation method using floating water plants. The purpose of this research was to obtain water plants that have better absorption ability as phytoremediation agents for tofu liquid waste between Lemna and Kiapu aquatic plants. This research was conducted at the Laboratory of Aquatic Resources, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, Padjadjaran University from March to September 2019. The method used in this research was an experimental method with a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consisting of three treatments and five replications. Tofu liquid waste samples were obtained from the Tofu Factory in the Cibuntu Tofu Industry Center. Physical and chemical parameters observed include temperature, acidity, dissolved oxygen, BOD5, nitrate, and phosphate. The results showed that the Kiapu had better nitrate and phosphate absorption ability than Lemna and the combination treatments for 15 days of observation. The result showed that the decrease in nitrate concentration was 10.12-62.24% and the decrease in phosphate concentration was 6.67-54.23%. Kiapu can be recommended as phytoremediation agents for tofu liquid waste to remediate high organic matter before being discharged directly into water bodies.