Use of water hyacinths in wastewater treatment (A brief literature review)

Water hyacinths, because of their prolific growth rate, pose special problems in water management by clogging irrigation channels and interfering with transportation. Water hyacinth is classified as an aquatic pest. Integrated biological and chemical methods for controlling the plant growth are cost...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental health 1980, Vol.43 (2), p.80-82
Main Author: Gupta, Gian C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Plant growth
Plants
Ponds
Sewage effluent
Surface water
Wastewater
Wastewater treatment
Water consumption
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Summary:Water hyacinths, because of their prolific growth rate, pose special problems in water management by clogging irrigation channels and interfering with transportation. Water hyacinth is classified as an aquatic pest. Integrated biological and chemical methods for controlling the plant growth are costly. The plant's voracious appetite for nutrients and explosive growth rate is now being put to use in cleaning up municipal and agricultural wastewaters. Water hyacinths have been effective in removing algae, fecal coliform bacteria, suspended particles, trace toxic metals, organics and many other dissolved impurities from wastewaters. Water hyacinths produce large standing crops and utilize large amounts of nutrients. The culturing of water hyacinths in a sewage lagoon system reduces BODâ‚… (up to 95%), TSS (up to 90%), N, P, heavy metals and pesticides. Contamination is removed from polluted waters as a result of combination of biological, chemical, and physical factors. In order to remove 80% of N, 5.1 acres of water hyacinths are needed for 1 mpd; whereas, the corresponding P removal is about 44%. Use of water hyacinths for wastewater treatment has been demonstrated to be highly efficient and inexpensive.
ISSN:0022-0892