Integrated Approach for Methyl Orange Removal and Vermicompost Production Using Ceratophyllum demersum

The textile industry’s unrelenting expansion produces copious volumes of colored effluent, which seriously contaminates limited freshwater resources. For the treatment of these contaminated water streams, phytoremediation offers an affordable option. It provides a sustainable alternative for duckweed waste management in aquatic bodies having invasive plant growth. The aquatic plant C. demersum is used as a model for methyl orange dye phytoremediation in this study. Two different forms of the plant were used: wet plant and adsorbent powder. The effect of parameters such as plant used for remediation (5–15 g L –1 ), dye concentration (5–30 ppm), and adsorbent dosage (0.5–3.0 g L –1 ) is studied. The decolorization performance is recorded in terms of UV absorbance at 464 nm and COD removal efficiency. The highest dye removal was 98.62% within 72 h with 3.0 g L –1 adsorbent addition, while the maximum dye removal with wet coontail was 96.9% on day 7 for 15 g L –1 plant added to 5 ppm dye solution. The spent adsorbent and plant were used to prepare vermicompost. The vermicompost obtained from C. demersum is very rich in nutrients and can be used as a fertilizer. Therefore, it is possible to draw the conclusion that vermicomposting in conjunction with phytoremediation can be an effective strategy for dye remediation and sustainable duckweed waste management.