POTENTIAL OF AQUATIC MACROPHYTES EICHHORNIA CRASSIPES, PISTIA STRATIOTES AND SALVINIA MOLESTA IN PHYTOREMEDIATION OF TEXTILE WASTEWATER

Abstract

Phytoremediation is an emerging low cost green technology, which uses plants for treating contaminant in the environment. Phytoremediation potential of locally available aquatic plants Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) and Salvinia molesta (water fern) in the treatment process of textile wastewater was investi-gated. The reduction efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals (Cd, Ni and Zn) and total and fecal coliform from the waste-water by each plant species were estimated. Bioconcentration factors (BCF) and translocation factors (TF) of three plant species for Cd, Ni and Zn were also estimated in order to identify their heavy metal absorption and translocation capacity. The results of the study indicated that greater reduction of COD, nitrates, phosphates, total coliform and Zn from the ini-tial wastewater by the three plant species. The results of the study also suggested that the selected aquatic plants are hy-peraccumulators of Cd, Ni and Zn metals. The findings of this study suggest that E. crassipes, P. stratiotes and S. molesta are potential aquatic plants for treating textile waste water.