Phytoremediation of municipal wastewater by using aquatic plants

The prevailing purification technologies used for municipal wastewater are too costly and non eco-friendly. Use of aquatic plants for phytoremediation and stabilization of wastewater is an upcoming area of research, as it is low cost and environment friendly. The present study was focused on the role of Azolla pinnata and Lemna minor in removal of different pollutants existing in municipal wastewater of Pune city, after dilution in different ratios with Distilled Water (DW). The results clearly indicated that both plant species had good potential to reduce EC, TDS, N[O.sub.3.sup.-2], S[O.sub.4.sup.-2] and P[O.sub.4.sup.-2] at final stage. However Lemna was far better than Azolla for removing the foresaid pollutants. The results of present study lead to conclude that municipal wastewater can be purified to a great level after its dilution in the ratios of 1: 3 along with aquatic macrophytes like Lemna and Azolla. Amongst them Lemna (Duckweed) is the most appropriate candidate for phytoremediation of municipal wastewater as it is a low-cost solution satisfying the discharge standards. Key words: Aquatic Macrophytes, Municipal Wastewater, Phytoremediation