Phytoremediation of contaminated ground water using Typha angustifolia

Abstract

A mesocosm scale constructed wetlands (CWs) (0.81 m2) with subsurface flow system was assessed for phytoremediation procedure effectiveness in treating volatile organic compound-rich ground water. The experimental setup consisted of 4 mesocosms in total, 3 planted with Typha angustifolia and 1 unplanted control (W1: sand; W2: (soil + sand + compost); W3: control contaminant and W4: plant control). CWs of different configurations were operated in a greenhouse at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysi to know which type of CWs is more efficient in the medium term basis. Chemical oxygen demand, TSS, turbidity, NH4-N, NO3-N, Redox potential measured throughout phytoremediation indicated that the process with Typha angustifolia was successful, as demonstrated by the significant decrease in the parameters measured. This effect was fundamentally due to the plant-micro-organisms interactions and the configuration of CWs which act as filtration bed.