%0 Journal Article
%T Effectiveness of Domestic Wastewater Treatment Using a Bio-Hedge Water Hyacinth Wetland System
%A Alireza Valipour
%A Venkatraman Kalyan Raman
%A Young-Ho Ahn
%J Water
%P 329-347
%D 2015
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/w7010329
%X onstructed wetland applications have been limited by a large land requirement and capital investment. This study aimed to improve a shallow pond water hyacinth system by incorporating the advantages of engineered attached microbial growth technique (termed Bio-hedge) for on-site domestic wastewater treatment. A laboratory scale continuous-flow system consists of the mesh type matrix providing an additional biofilm surface area of 54 m 2/m 3. Following one year of experimentation, the process showed more stability and enhanced performance in removing organic matter and nutrients, compared to traditional water hyacinth (by lowering 33%¨C67% HRT) and facultative (by lowering 92%¨C96% HRT) ponds. The wastewater exposed plants revealed a relative growth rate of 1.15% per day, and no anatomical deformities were observed. Plant nutrient level averaged 27 ¡À 1.7 and 44 ¡À 2.3 mg N/g dry weight, and 5 ¡À 1.4 & 9¡À1.2 mg P/g dry weight in roots and shoots, respectively. Microorganisms immobilized on Bio-hedge media (4.06 ¡Á 10 7 cfu/cm 2) and plant roots ( 3.12 ¡Á 10 4 cfu/cm) were isolated and identified (a total of 23 strains). The capital cost was pre-estimated for 1 m 3/d wastewater at 78 US$/m 3 inflow and 465 US$/kg BOD 5 removed. This process is a suitable ecotechnology due to improved biofilm formation, reduced footprint, energy savings, and increased quality effluent.
%K attached microbial growth
%K domestic wastewater
%K on-site treatment
%K phytoremediation
%K water hyacinth system
%U http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/7/1/329