Comparative Assessment of Treatment of Mushroom Farm Wastewater Using Plant (<i>Ceratophyllum demersum</i> L.) and Algae (<i>Chlorella vulgaris</i>): Experimental and Kinetic Studies

Mushroom cultivation produces a significant amount of wastewater containing high levels of both organic and inorganic contaminants. In this study, mushroom farm wastewater (MFW) was treated separately by aquatic macrophytes (<i>Ceratophyllum demersum</i> L.) and algae (<i>Chlorella...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ivan Širić, Mostafa A. Taher, Pankaj Kumar, Sami Abou Fayssal, Rakesh Kumar Bachheti, Boro Mioč, Željko Andabaka, Jogendra Singh, Ebrahem M. Eid
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-09-01
Series:Horticulturae
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/9/10/1081
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Summary:Mushroom cultivation produces a significant amount of wastewater containing high levels of both organic and inorganic contaminants. In this study, mushroom farm wastewater (MFW) was treated separately by aquatic macrophytes (<i>Ceratophyllum demersum</i> L.) and algae (<i>Chlorella vulgaris</i>). The laboratory experiments consisted of a constructed reactor planted with selected aquatic plants and a microalgal culture and operated for 16 days. The pollutant removal efficiency was evaluated using different experimental combinations such as control 1 (<i>C. demersum</i> using borewell water), control 2 (<i>C. vulgaris</i> using borewell water), T1 (<i>C. demersum</i> using MFW), and T2 (<i>C. vulgaris</i> using MFW), respectively. The results showed that the T1 treatment had the highest significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05) removal efficiency of selected pollutant parameters (total dissolved solids: 86.00%; biochemical oxygen demand: 83.10%; chemical oxygen demand: 86.60%; total nitrogen: 84.30%; total phosphorus: 75.60%). The kinetic studies using the first-order reaction model showed a good fit (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> > 0.8317) and the maximum rate constant (<i>k</i>) of pollutant reduction in T1 treatment. In addition, the growth, biochemical, and proximate parameters of both <i>C. demersum</i> and <i>C. vulgaris</i> were highest in the same treatment. Therefore, the proposed experiment offers a promising approach for the efficient and environmentally friendly treatment of MFW.
ISSN:2311-7524