Macrophytes for the reclamation of degraded waterbodies with potential for bioenergy production

Abstract

Macrophytes have excessive efficiency to remove various inorganic and organic contaminants including heavy metals, nutrients, pesticides, POPs, oils from wastewater. The removal of contaminants depends upon the concentration of contaminant, duration of exposure and others factors including environmental characteristics (pH, temperature etc.), physicochemical properties of pollutants (solubility, pressure etc.) and plants characteristics (species, root system etc.). To ascertain large scale execution of this process, management of phytoremediating macrophytes will be a chief concern bioenergy production is effective and low cost practices for the optimum utilization and eco-friendly management of these macrophytes. Due to high photosynthetic efficiency and higher biomass production, macrophytes can produce useful quantities of carbohydrate and cellulose; raw material forbio-gas, bioethanol and lipids which are non-polluting and renewable sources of energy. Several aquatic macrophytes, such as Eichhornia crassipes, Trapa natans, Typha latifolia, Pistiastratiotes, Phragmites australis, Lemna gibba can easily degraded, and produce high bioenergy yield. In addition, macrophytes can be used for several other purposes such as recreational, household, flowers, fodder, fertilizers, mulch etc. Macrophytes are also capable for sequestering carbon through photosynthesis and accumulation of organic matter in sediments and plant biomass. This chapter highlights the macrophytes potential for removal of inorganic and organic contaminants and their subsequent use for bioenergy production.