A Comparative Study of Nutrients, Cadmium, and Chromium Bioremoval Efficiencies of Three Emergent Macrophytes From a Metal‐Contaminated Wastewater

Abstract

A comparative study of the metal tolerance and removal capacities of three emergent macrophyte species was established in an artificially contaminated wastewater. The removal efficiencies of chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), ammoniacal-nitrogen (NH 4 -N), nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 -N), and ortho-phosphate (PO 4 -P) by mono-cultures of Arundo donax, Phragmites communis, and Typha latifolia were determined. The leaf number as well as Crand Cd-plant tissue contents were assessed after 15 days of exposure to metal concentration gradients. Arundo donax achieved the highest removal efficiencies of NH 4 -N (72%) and PO 4 -P (83%). However, P. communis and T. latifolia accomplished significantly higher reduction rates of NO 3 -N (86 and 82%, respectively). With exposure to the wastewater metal contamination, A. donax was more resistant than the other two species and produced the highest leaf number for both pollutants Cr (13 leaves at 20 mg Cr/L) and Cd (14 leaves at 2 ppm). In addition, compared to P. communis and T. latifolia, A. donax showed significantly higher accumulative capacities for Cr and Cd in terms of dry weight (DW) of the plant biomass in both belowground (16.9 mg Cr/kg DW, 189 mg Cd/kg DW) and aboveground (10.1 mg Cr/kg DW, 130 mg Cd/kg DW) parts.

Floating Wetlands: A Sustainable Tool for Wastewater Treatment

“…The pollutant degradation by endophytic bacteria is not limited to organic contaminants only but can be equally exploited in remediation of potentially toxic metal(s)/element(s). For example, application of endophytic bacteria, previously isolated from Prosopis juliflora grown in soil contaminated with tannery effluent with a high concentration of potentially toxic metals (Cr, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn), expressively enhanced the uptake of Cr in ryegrass . Similarly, uptake of Zn was increased considerably by inoculation of two grass species, Festuca rundinacea and Lolium perenne , by the endophytic bacterial strain Neotyphodium …”

“…For example, application of endophytic bacteria, previously isolated from Prosopis juliflora grown in soil contaminated with tannery effluent with a high concentration of potentially toxic metals (Cr, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn), expressively enhanced the uptake of Cr in ryegrass. [86,87] Similarly, uptake of Zn was increased considerably by inoculation of two grass species, Festuca rundinacea and Lolium perenne, by the endophytic bacterial strain Neotyphodium. [88] Besides degradation, plant-bacteria synergism can also improve the nutrients removal from contaminated water.…”

Innovative amendments derived from industrial and municipal wastes enhance plant growth and soil functions in potentially toxic elements-polluted environments

“…Overall, the above-mentioned plant growth effects were often accompanied by decreased PTE uptake. In addition, the highest concentrations of PTE were generally found in roots, followed by aerial parts, irrespectively of the plant species (Allende et al, 2014;Conesa et al, 2014;Bacchetta et al, 2015;Kouki et al, 2015;Pardo et al, 2016;Pérez-Sirvent et al, 2017;Castaldi et al, 2018).…”