Using aquatic plants for municipal wastewater treatment

Other Title(s)

استخدام نباتات مائية في معالجة مياه الصرف الصحي

Dissertant

al-Nafi, Muhammad Bin Salih Muhammad

Thesis advisor

Salih, Ahmad Ali

Comitee Members

al-Sulaymani, Samir Jamil Muhammad
Muhammad, Abd al-Hadi Abd al-Wahhab

University

Arabian Gulf University

Faculty

College of Graduate Studies

Department

Environmental Management

University Country

Bahrain

Degree

Master

Degree Date

2013

English Abstract

Climatic conditions in Saudi Arabia among the harshest weather conditions in the world, which are mostly desert with few and irregular rainfall and high evaporation rates, which contributes to the limited non-renewable groundwater.

Wastewater containing organic, inorganic and biological pollutant to varying degrees depending on its source.

Its direct use for irrigation, landscape development and industrial cooling may cause environmental and health hazards.

Therefore, treatment of wastewater prior to its reuse is important. The main objectives of this research were to examine the potential of Four aquatic plants for wastewater treatment, and to determine the efficiency of Typha (Cattail), Phragmites australis (Reed Plant), Eleusine indica (Grass) and Diplachne Fusca (Grass)) in decreasing the concentration of COD, BOD, TOC, total-N, total-P, Cd, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Co, and Ni from domastic wastewater.

A pilot scale experiment was carried at KACST facilities.

The results indicated that soil salinity increased considerably as compared to the control treatment.

The concentration of major cations Ca, Mg and Na increased considerably over the control treatment except for K, whereas, anions showed considerably increases over the control except for HCO3.

It was found that all the plants contained high levels of Ca, Na, K, Cl and total-S and high levels of Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn while the concentrations of Cd, Co, Ni and Cr were low in all the plants and at differnt dates of sampling.

The results indicated that the major cations content (Ca, Mg, Na, K) did not show any considerable change with time in the Typha (Cattail).

The BOD5 contents of treated wastewater ranged between 20.80-64.80 mg L-1 in different plants.

The order in BOD5 reduction was: control > Phragmites > Typha > E.indica > D.

fusca aquatic plants.

Similarly, COD contents of treated wastewater ranged between 49-89.80 mg L-1 in various aquatic plants treatments.

The order in COD reduction was: control > Typha > phragmites > D.

fusca > E.

indica.

The total- N contents increased considerably in Typha plant treatment compared to all the other plants, where it decreased considerably compared to raw wastewater, while mean PO4 contents of treated wastewater decreased considerably under Typha and Phragmites.

Percent reduction in Cd was higher in Typha-Phragmites-E.indica followed by D.

fusca.

Overall, the order of abundance for major cations was Na > K > Ca > Mg while that of anions was Cl > SO4 for Typha, K > Na > Mg > Ca and anions Cl > SO4 for Phragmites australis and Eleusine indica while it was K > Na > Ca > Mg for cations and SO4 > Cl for Diplachne fusca plants. Overall, the order of abundance of different micro elements and toxic metal ions was Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Co > Cr > Cd >Pb > Ni (Typha), Fe > Mn > Zn >Cu > Co >Cr >Cd > Ni > Pb (Phragmites australis), Fe > Mn > Cu > Zn > Co > Cr > Cd >Ni > Pb (Eleusine indica) and Fe > Mn > Cu > Co > Zn > Cr > Cd > Pb > Ni in Diplachne fusca at different time intervals in the various natural wastewater treatments.

Product water was heavily contaminated by coliform and E.

Coli bacteria.

Main Subjects

Engineering & Technology Sciences (Multidisciplinary)

Topics

• Sanitation
• Waste water
• Aquatic plants

No. of Pages

71

Table of Contents

• APA
• MLA
• AMA

Language

English

Data Type

Arab Theses

Record ID

BIM-421257