Assessment of the Impacts of Phyto-Remediation on Water Quality of the Litani River by Means of Two Wetland Plants (<i>Sparganium erectum</i> and <i>Phragmites australis</i>)
Water pollution from human activities is largely <i>a result of the discharge of wastewater and industrial waste into rivers.</i> Phytoremediation, the technique that uses plants to remove pollutants from the polluted waters, is a growing field of research because of its various environm...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/1/4 |
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| author | Fadi Karam Rachelle Haddad Nabil Amacha Wissam Charanek Jérôme Harmand |
| author_facet | Fadi Karam Rachelle Haddad Nabil Amacha Wissam Charanek Jérôme Harmand |
| author_sort | Fadi Karam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water pollution from human activities is largely <i>a result of the discharge of wastewater and industrial waste into rivers.</i> Phytoremediation, the technique that uses plants to remove pollutants from the polluted waters, is a growing field of research because of its various environmental advantages. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of a constructed wetland in removing pollutants and treating the polluted waters of the Litani River in Lebanon, by means of two aquatic plants, <i>Phragmites australis</i> and <i>Sparganium erectum</i>. Results showed that the levels of the physicochemical and biological parameters measured on water samples at downstream of the wetland were lower than those obtained at upstream. Results revealed that average removal efficiency was 41% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 54% for biological oxygen demand (BOD5), 97% for nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>), 40% for nitrite (NO<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup>), 67% for phosphate (PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup>), while it was negative (−62%) for sulfate (SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>), indicating an increase in sulfate content in the treated effluent returning to the river. On the other hand, most of the effluent chemical and biological characteristics were within the provisional discharge limits of effluent to water body set by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Lebanese Wastewater Reuse Guidelines of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Statistical analyses also showed significant variations (<i>p</i> < 0.5) among the two sampling sites along the wetland. Our findings clearly demonstrate that phytoremediation is a viable solution to remove pollutants in a competitive environment and improve the quality of contaminated waters by acting as a sink for various contaminants. The gained experience may be scalable to other sites and environments across the country. |
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| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:50:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
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| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-a1db70e1b87c44368cfb78ddbcbe5d082023-11-30T23:16:05ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-12-01151410.3390/w15010004Assessment of the Impacts of Phyto-Remediation on Water Quality of the Litani River by Means of Two Wetland Plants (<i>Sparganium erectum</i> and <i>Phragmites australis</i>)Fadi Karam0Rachelle Haddad1Nabil Amacha2Wissam Charanek3Jérôme Harmand4Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Lebanese University, Dekwaneh, Metn, Beyrouth 1003, LebanonDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Lebanese University, Dekwaneh, Metn, Beyrouth 1003, LebanonDepartment of Biology and Earth Science, Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Hadath Campus, Beyrouth 1003, LebanonLitani River Authority, Agricultural and Extension Center of Kherbet Qanafar, West Bekaa, Beyrouth 1003, LebanonLBE, Université Montpellier, INRAE, 102 Avenue des Étangs, F-11100 Narbonne, FranceWater pollution from human activities is largely <i>a result of the discharge of wastewater and industrial waste into rivers.</i> Phytoremediation, the technique that uses plants to remove pollutants from the polluted waters, is a growing field of research because of its various environmental advantages. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of a constructed wetland in removing pollutants and treating the polluted waters of the Litani River in Lebanon, by means of two aquatic plants, <i>Phragmites australis</i> and <i>Sparganium erectum</i>. Results showed that the levels of the physicochemical and biological parameters measured on water samples at downstream of the wetland were lower than those obtained at upstream. Results revealed that average removal efficiency was 41% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 54% for biological oxygen demand (BOD5), 97% for nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>), 40% for nitrite (NO<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup>), 67% for phosphate (PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup>), while it was negative (−62%) for sulfate (SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>), indicating an increase in sulfate content in the treated effluent returning to the river. On the other hand, most of the effluent chemical and biological characteristics were within the provisional discharge limits of effluent to water body set by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Lebanese Wastewater Reuse Guidelines of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Statistical analyses also showed significant variations (<i>p</i> < 0.5) among the two sampling sites along the wetland. Our findings clearly demonstrate that phytoremediation is a viable solution to remove pollutants in a competitive environment and improve the quality of contaminated waters by acting as a sink for various contaminants. The gained experience may be scalable to other sites and environments across the country.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/1/4water pollutionLitani Riverconstructed wetlandbiological oxygen demandchemical oxygen demandpollutants removal |
| spellingShingle | Fadi Karam Rachelle Haddad Nabil Amacha Wissam Charanek Jérôme Harmand Assessment of the Impacts of Phyto-Remediation on Water Quality of the Litani River by Means of Two Wetland Plants (<i>Sparganium erectum</i> and <i>Phragmites australis</i>) Water water pollution Litani River constructed wetland biological oxygen demand chemical oxygen demand pollutants removal |
| title | Assessment of the Impacts of Phyto-Remediation on Water Quality of the Litani River by Means of Two Wetland Plants (<i>Sparganium erectum</i> and <i>Phragmites australis</i>) |
| title_full | Assessment of the Impacts of Phyto-Remediation on Water Quality of the Litani River by Means of Two Wetland Plants (<i>Sparganium erectum</i> and <i>Phragmites australis</i>) |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of the Impacts of Phyto-Remediation on Water Quality of the Litani River by Means of Two Wetland Plants (<i>Sparganium erectum</i> and <i>Phragmites australis</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of the Impacts of Phyto-Remediation on Water Quality of the Litani River by Means of Two Wetland Plants (<i>Sparganium erectum</i> and <i>Phragmites australis</i>) |
| title_short | Assessment of the Impacts of Phyto-Remediation on Water Quality of the Litani River by Means of Two Wetland Plants (<i>Sparganium erectum</i> and <i>Phragmites australis</i>) |
| title_sort | assessment of the impacts of phyto remediation on water quality of the litani river by means of two wetland plants i sparganium erectum i and i phragmites australis i |
| topic | water pollution Litani River constructed wetland biological oxygen demand chemical oxygen demand pollutants removal |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/1/4 |
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