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17 Phytoremediation Systems for the Recovery of Nutrients from Eutrophic Waters
17.4 Biological Measures (Phytoremediation)
to Control Eutrophication
Effective control measures need to be emphasized in order
to control eutrophication and restore eutrophic water bodies.
Phytoremediation is a simple, low-cost emerging clean up
technology for wastewater. It is defined as the engineered
use of green plants to remove, or render harmless, various
environmental contaminates such as inorganic and organic
compounds. Development of aquatic plant systems for the
recovery of the nutrients from eutrophic water is essentially
required to control eutrophication (Ghaley and Farag 2007;
Kim and Owens 2010).
The aquatic plants like Eichhornia crassipes and Salvia
auriculata are very efficient to remove nutrients and can be
used to reduce the eutrophication processes (Petrucio and Estaves 2000). Water hyacinth is reported for its efficiency to
remove about 60–80 % nitrogen (Fox et al. 2008) and about
69 % of potassium from water (Zhou et al. 2007). The roots
of water hyacinth were found to remove particulate matter
and nitrogen in a natural shallow eutrophicated wetland (Billore et al. 1998). There are many other aquatic plants like
Typha, Phragmites, and Glyceria species that are reported to
remove nutrients from eutrophic water (Beltman et al. 1990).
The planted floats are used to remove dissolved phosphorus from irrigation drainage channel. These floats are designed to implement horizontal spreading of aquatic plants
on the surface of irrigation drains, fields, or treatment ponds.
In the float technology the creeping stems of water plants
were utilized to remove soluble reactive phosphorus from the
water column (Wen and Recknagel 2002). The seaweeds can
also be used to remove the nutrients. Mass culture of commercially valuable seaweed species has been suggested to play an
increasingly important role as a nutrient removal system to
alleviate eutrophication problems owing to fed aquaculture.
Three species of estuarine macroalgae ( Ulva rotundata, Enteromorpha intestinalis and Gracilaria gracillis) were used
as biofilters for the removal of phosphate from the effluent of
a sea bass ( Dicentrachus labrox) (Martinez et al. 2002).
There are number of aquatic weeds like Lemna, Spirodela,
and Eichhornia that were shown to be very efficient in removing nutrients from eutrophic waters if used in controlled environmental conditions (Ansari and Khan 2008, 2009b, 2011).
Periphyton removes phosphorus in shallow freshwater ecosystem. The phosphorus removal process includes its uptake, deposition, and filtering from the water (Dodds 2006). Cultures
of duckweed (Lemna minor) cultivated in the laboratory under
controlled environmental conditions remove 7 % of nitrogen
and 10 % of the phosphorus by the plant uptake over the 14day period of operation (Smith et al. 2004; Smith 2007).
17.5 Limiting Factors for the Nutrients Phytoremediation Systems
Nutrients removal capacity of plants and microorganisms in
natural and manmade eutrophicated aquatic ecosystems depend on many factors, including retention time, season, temperature, pH, diversity of species, nutrients loading, hydraulic
regimes, plant harvesting, light intensity. Nutrients removal
efficiency by duckweeds was shown to be varied from plant
to plant (El-Shafai et al. 2007). The growth and nutrient removal potential of aquatic plants are affected by many factors
such as temperature, water salinity, and physiological limitations of the plant (Ansari and Khan 2009b). Low temperature,
high concentration of salts, and low concentration of nutrients
may also reduce the performance of aquatic plants in removing nutrients (Lu et al. 2010). The performance of phytoremediation system depends upon the growth performances of the
plants selected for phytoremediation, their nutrients removal
potential and efficiency to grow in experimental environment.
In order to develop high-efficient nutrients phytoremediation
systems aquatic plant species in combinations (mono, bi, tri
species culture) can be used.
17.5.1 Plant Material
Various common aquatic plant species can be tested singly
and in combinations (mono, bi, tri species culture) to develop phytoremediation systems for the recovery of nutrients
from eutrophic waters.
17.5.2 Best/Worst Performers Among
Plant Species
Among a range of plant species, highest nutrients recovery
rates were exhibited by water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes)
and water lettuce ( Pistia stratiotes) (Polomski et al. 2009).
Planted in microcosms, Carex lacustris was shown to be
the least efficient plant in comparison with Scirpus validus, Phalaris arundinacea, and Typha latifolia (Picard et al.
2005). Highest nutrients recovery rates were found to be exhibited by Thalia geniculata and Oenenathe javanica in comparison with Phyla lanceolata (Polomski et al. 2008).
17.5.3 Species Mixture
Typha significantly outperformed Juncus and Scirpus both
in growth and in effluent quality improvement in small-scale
constructed wetlands receiving primary treated wastewater. There was also some evidence that the species mixture
outperformed species monocultures (Coleman et al. 2001).
17 Phytoremediation Systems for the Recovery of Nutrients from Eutrophic Waters
17.4 Biological Measures (Phytoremediation)
to Control Eutrophication
Effective control measures need to be emphasized in order
to control eutrophication and restore eutrophic water bodies.
Phytoremediation is a simple, low-cost emerging clean up
technology for wastewater. It is defined as the engineered
use of green plants to remove, or render harmless, various
environmental contaminates such as inorganic and organic
compounds. Development of aquatic plant systems for the
recovery of the nutrients from eutrophic water is essentially
required to control eutrophication (Ghaley and Farag 2007;
Kim and Owens 2010).
The aquatic plants like Eichhornia crassipes and Salvia
auriculata are very efficient to remove nutrients and can be
used to reduce the eutrophication processes (Petrucio and Estaves 2000). Water hyacinth is reported for its efficiency to
remove about 60–80 % nitrogen (Fox et al. 2008) and about
69 % of potassium from water (Zhou et al. 2007). The roots
of water hyacinth were found to remove particulate matter
and nitrogen in a natural shallow eutrophicated wetland (Billore et al. 1998). There are many other aquatic plants like
Typha, Phragmites, and Glyceria species that are reported to
remove nutrients from eutrophic water (Beltman et al. 1990).
The planted floats are used to remove dissolved phosphorus from irrigation drainage channel. These floats are designed to implement horizontal spreading of aquatic plants
on the surface of irrigation drains, fields, or treatment ponds.
In the float technology the creeping stems of water plants
were utilized to remove soluble reactive phosphorus from the
water column (Wen and Recknagel 2002). The seaweeds can
also be used to remove the nutrients. Mass culture of commercially valuable seaweed species has been suggested to play an
increasingly important role as a nutrient removal system to
alleviate eutrophication problems owing to fed aquaculture.
Three species of estuarine macroalgae ( Ulva rotundata, Enteromorpha intestinalis and Gracilaria gracillis) were used
as biofilters for the removal of phosphate from the effluent of
a sea bass ( Dicentrachus labrox) (Martinez et al. 2002).
There are number of aquatic weeds like Lemna, Spirodela,
and Eichhornia that were shown to be very efficient in removing nutrients from eutrophic waters if used in controlled environmental conditions (Ansari and Khan 2008, 2009b, 2011).
Periphyton removes phosphorus in shallow freshwater ecosystem. The phosphorus removal process includes its uptake, deposition, and filtering from the water (Dodds 2006). Cultures
of duckweed (Lemna minor) cultivated in the laboratory under
controlled environmental conditions remove 7 % of nitrogen
and 10 % of the phosphorus by the plant uptake over the 14day period of operation (Smith et al. 2004; Smith 2007).
17.5 Limiting Factors for the Nutrients Phytoremediation Systems
Nutrients removal capacity of plants and microorganisms in
natural and manmade eutrophicated aquatic ecosystems depend on many factors, including retention time, season, temperature, pH, diversity of species, nutrients loading, hydraulic
regimes, plant harvesting, light intensity. Nutrients removal
efficiency by duckweeds was shown to be varied from plant
to plant (El-Shafai et al. 2007). The growth and nutrient removal potential of aquatic plants are affected by many factors
such as temperature, water salinity, and physiological limitations of the plant (Ansari and Khan 2009b). Low temperature,
high concentration of salts, and low concentration of nutrients
may also reduce the performance of aquatic plants in removing nutrients (Lu et al. 2010). The performance of phytoremediation system depends upon the growth performances of the
plants selected for phytoremediation, their nutrients removal
potential and efficiency to grow in experimental environment.
In order to develop high-efficient nutrients phytoremediation
systems aquatic plant species in combinations (mono, bi, tri
species culture) can be used.
17.5.1 Plant Material
Various common aquatic plant species can be tested singly
and in combinations (mono, bi, tri species culture) to develop phytoremediation systems for the recovery of nutrients
from eutrophic waters.
17.5.2 Best/Worst Performers Among
Plant Species
Among a range of plant species, highest nutrients recovery
rates were exhibited by water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes)
and water lettuce ( Pistia stratiotes) (Polomski et al. 2009).
Planted in microcosms, Carex lacustris was shown to be
the least efficient plant in comparison with Scirpus validus, Phalaris arundinacea, and Typha latifolia (Picard et al.
2005). Highest nutrients recovery rates were found to be exhibited by Thalia geniculata and Oenenathe javanica in comparison with Phyla lanceolata (Polomski et al. 2008).
17.5.3 Species Mixture
Typha significantly outperformed Juncus and Scirpus both
in growth and in effluent quality improvement in small-scale
constructed wetlands receiving primary treated wastewater. There was also some evidence that the species mixture
outperformed species monocultures (Coleman et al. 2001).