Rapid urbanization has escalated municipal wastewater generation, necessitating cost-effective and sustainable treatment alternatives. This study investigates the phytoremediation potential of Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) for treating municipal sewage. Sewage samples were formulated into five treatment sets with varying concentrations (ranging from 20% to 100%) and treated with acclimatized plants. Initial and final physicochemical parameters-including pH, solids (TSS, TDS), organic load (BOD, COD), and nutrients-were analyzed to evaluate the plant's removal efficiency. The results demonstrated substantial pollutant reductions across all concentrations. In the undiluted (100%) sewage, E. crassipes achieved remarkable remediation, reducing BOD by 72.2%, COD by 64.0%, and TSS by 78.8%. Furthermore, the plant successfully removed over 50% of critical eutrophication-inducing nutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates. However, chloride concentrations remained largely unaffected, highlighting a biological limitation of the macrophyte. These findings confirm that E. crassipes provides a highly effective, eco-friendly, and economically viable biological filtration system for municipal wastewater management. This approach is particularly beneficial for developing regions seeking sustainable alternatives to conventional, energy-intensive treatment facilities.
Jadhav et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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