Comparative Phytoremediation Potential of Eichhornia crassipes, Lemna minor, and Pistia stratiotes in Two Treatment Facilities in Cluj County, Romania

Abstract

Phytoremediation is an effective method used to control the accumulation of certain contaminants found in industrial or city wastewater. Among the species with high efficacy are Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), Lemna minor (common duckweed), and Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce). In this study, the application of these species in the context of two municipal wastewater treatment facilities in Cluj County, Romania, is evaluated. To determine the efficacy of bioaccumulation, we measured the content of nitrogen species (ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrites, and nitrates), phosphorous, iron, and chromium before and after the addition of plant material to effluent and treated wastewater. The results showed that E. crassipes, L. minor, and P. stratiotes presented high phytoremediation yields for these common wastewater pollutants after one week of contact, with yields as high as 99–100% for ammoniacal nitrogen, 95% for phosphorous, 96% for iron, and 94% for chromium. However, the remediation capacity for nitrate and nitrite was less significant.

Evaluation of Phytoremediation Potential of an Aquatic Macrophyte (Eichhornia crassipes) in Wastewater Treatment

“…E. crassipes growing in UW showed higher levels of As accumulation as compared to the others (Table 3). E. crassipes is a promising aquatic macrophyte for the remediation of heavy metals and can sustain under moderate concentrations of heavy metals [9,10]. Significant concentrations of Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, As, and Cr were reported in E. crassipes, confirming its potential as an accumulator for heavy metals [31].…”

“…Nevertheless, these approaches are not only economically non-sustainable and non-eco-friendly [8], but their efficiency (50%) is still questionable [9]. In recent years, researchers have been growing interest in exploring alternative, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly approaches, such as phytoremediation [8][9][10], for wastewater treatment.…”

“…Phytoremediation utilizes the natural abilities of plants to remove, degrade, or immobilize pollutants from various environmental media, including water [11]. Phytoremediation relies on plants' ability to tolerate and accumulate pollutants from the environment [10] and offers cost-effective, sustainable, and versatile waste treatment with minimal environmental impact [11]. Various phytoremediation technologies are phytostabilization, phytovolatilization, phytoextraction, phytostimulation, phytofiltration, phytotransformation, and phytodegradation [12].…”

“…Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), a highly productive and free-floating aquatic plant from the Pontedriaceae family, is renowned for its exceptional nutrient absorption, pollution resistance, and massive growth, making it the most toxic weed [18]. Among the hyper-accumulators, E. crssipes is an idealistic aquatic macrophyte for significant bioaccumulation of toxic metals like Cd, Co, Ni, Hg, and Pb and metalloids like arsenic [9,10]. This species exhibits high adsorption efficiency for heavy metals like Cr, Pb, Cu, etc., effectively removing up to 90% of these metals from water.…”