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Location where to get the Complete Article --> Ambient Science: Vol 3, No 2 (2016): 89-92

ISSN- 2348-5191 (Print version); 2348-8980 (Online)

Growth and Phytoremediation Potential of Watercress Nasturtium officinale R. Br. in Ammonium-rich Wastewater



Saied Ali Musavi, Naser Karimi, Soroor Sadeghi

Abstract

Phytoremediation is considered to be eco-friendly and efficient technology for the removal of pollutants present in wastewater. Nowadays the focus is to look for a sustainable approach in developing wastewater treatment capability in rapidly increasing. The main objective of this paper is to review the possibility of using watercress (Nasturtium officinale) for the removal of ammonium ion present in high-strength industrial wastewater. It was found that there was no significant reduction of shoot height, root length and total biomass of watercress due to an increase in NH4+ concentrations. Statistical analysis indicates that the length of roots were significantly (P <0.05) increased at NH4+ rich waste water supply levels of 20-25% while compared to the control. The plants accumulated large amounts of ammonium ion or nitrogen in tissues under conditions of abundant supply. The removal efficiency of raw waste water was around 66 % for nitrogen, 23% for calcium,25 % for total hardness, 22% for biological oxygen demand and 38% of chemical oxygen demand. Nutrient removal efficiency was positively correlated with the initial nutrient supply. The results show that N.officinale grown in the fixed mat economic plant-based treatment system may be an effective, low-cost phytoremediation technology to treat water containing a higher concentration of ammonium.


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    • DOI:10.21276/ambi.2016.03.2.ra08/h3>

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    Published by: National Cave Research and Protection Organization, India

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