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ROLE OF DUCKWEED (Lemna minor L.) HARVESTING IN BIOLOGICAL PHOSPHATE REMOVAL FROM SECONDARY TREATMENT EFFLUENTS
E. bek H. Hasar

Angerstr. 12 85354 Freising - Germany Phone: ++49 (0) 8161-48420 Fax: ++49 - (0) 8161-484248 Email: parlar@psp-parlar.de www.psp-parlar.de

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Fresenius Enviromental Bulletin

ROLE OF DUCKWEED (Lemna minor L.) HARVESTING IN BIOLOGICAL PHOSPHATE REMOVAL FROM SECONDARY TREATMENT EFFLUENTS
Erdal bek and Halil Hasar
Firat University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, 23119-Elazig, TURKEY

ABSTRACT The conventional wastewater treatment plants can partly remove phosphorus. When the effluents of secondary treatment are discharged to particularly inland water bodies, they cause eutrophication in the receiving environment. Phosphate is a limiting factor and must be removed from the effluent before being discharged. The capacity of duckweed (Lemna minor L.) in phosphate removal from secondary effluents was studied in laboratory to understand the mechanism of biological phosphate uptake. Orthophosphate can be efficiently removed if duckweed is frequently harvested. The initial phosphate concentration decreased from 15 mg L-1 to 0.5 mg L-1 at the end of an 8 days period. aquatic plants for treatment of small community wastewater, which cannot be sewered to a centralised treatment system. In recent years, a number of aquatic plants and wetland systems, such as Salvina natas [2], Lamna gibba, Eichhornia crassipes [3], Typha glauca [4], Phragmites australis [5], Melaleuca quinquenervia [6], and Lemna minor [2, 7, 8] have been reported to remove nutrients from aquatic environment. In this study harvesting has been done after 4 and 2 days periods to increase the efficiency of phosphate removal using duckweed (Lemna minor) and the role of frequent harvesting on treatment capacity has been established. MATERIALS AND METHODS INTRODUCTION The discharge of nitrogen and phosphate to rivers, lakes and dams causes massive but undesired growth of algae and plants called eutrophication [1]. This situation disturbs the natural balance in water body. Phosphate is the most important limiting factor. Thus, this problem has to be solved by reducing its concentration before discharge into receiving environments such as inland rivers, lakes and dams. Further treatment of secondary effluent is required to meet the discharge limits for phosphates (0.5-1.0 mg L-1). Advanced treatment processes are generally applied, particularly chemical precipitation. A number of secondary/ biological phosphorus removal processes, such as A/O process, PhoStrip or SBR, have been developed, additionally to chemical treatment. These processes are effective but often unsuitable for mass removal of pollutants. Alternative reliable technologies which are easy to operate and have low capital and operating costs include
Duckweed

KEYWORDS: Biological phosphate uptake, duckweed, harvesting.

Duckweed belongs to the family of floating monocotyledons and consists of 4 genera (Lemna, Spirodela, Wolffia, Wolffiella) and 28 species [9]. They are green, small-sized (1-3 mm) and have short but dense roots (1-3 cm). Duckweed grows even at water temperatures of 5-7 C and atmospheric temperatures of 1-3 C [7, 10] but also at temperatures up to 30 C (optimal 20-30 C). Therefore, it is among the most vigorously growing plants on earth [11]. Duckweed reached a doubling of frond number in 4 days under laboratory conditions (24 C; 12 h dark and light photo period [7]). Typical pH range for growth is 4.5-7.5 and growth is completely inhibited only at pH values higher than 10 [12]. Water content of duckweed is 94-95 % [7], protein content is high (240 410 g kg-1, and fiber content low (60-90 g kg-1). Harvey and Fox [13] determined the nitrogen (40-60 g kg-1) and phosphorus content (3-29 g kg-1) in duckweed harvested from wastewater ponds.

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Fresenius Enviromental Bulletin

Duckweed samples used in this study were collected from the secondary settling tank in Elazig City domestic wastewater treatment facility.
Treatment

compensated by addition of pure water. The initial pH of effluents in the experimental studies was about 6.5
Orthophosphate analysis

Duckweed was washed with an excess of pure water. The surface of three laboratory reactors was covered by duckweed and the height of water in reactors was kept to be 4 cm. The plexiglass reactors (15 x 45 x 15 cm) were treated batchwise under following conditions (simulated summer temperature of 27 4 C; 12 h dark and light photo periods; total treatment time 8 days). The reactor water samples collected were analysed every day. Detention time of duckweed was 8 days in the reactor, 4 days and 2 days in the second and third After harvesting, new and prewashed duckweed inserted. Water volume reduction by volatilisation first one. was was

Reactor water samples were filtered (0.22 mm Millipore filters) prior to measurement according to the ascorbic acid Standard Method [14].

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Phosphate removal by duckweed to prevent eutrophication in receiving environment was studied because the effluents of treatment plants normally contain high phosphate concentration. Frequent harvesting affects P removal positively. The P uptake capacity realised by different periods of harvesting is summarised in Table 1.

TABLE 1 - Variation of orthophosphate concentrations with time.

Orthophosphate concentrations (mg L-1) Time (days) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Without harvesting 12.0 9.3 8.0 7.2 6.5 6.0 6.5 7.1 8.2 Harvesting period of 4 days 15.0 12.2 9.1 7.8 6.9 4.7 3.5 2.8 2.2 Harvesting period of 2 days 15.0 11.5 8.8 5.9 4.2 2.5 1.5 0.8 0.5

FIGURE 1 - Orthophosphate uptake versus time according to frequent harvesting.

100 80

not harvested harvested 1 per 4 days

O-Phosphate Uptake, %

harvested 1 per 2 days 60

40 20 0 0 1 2 3 4 Time, days 5 6 7 8

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Fresenius Enviromental Bulletin

In duckweed experiments without harvesting, after 5 days a P uptake of 50 % was observed. Then P was released by duckweed into the reactor water again (Fig. 1; P increased from 6.0-8.2 mg L-1 (Table 1)). The absorption capacity of duckweed collected from domestic wastewater treatment facility and used in this study is restricted due to higher phosphorus content in wastewater than in natural water. Therefore, the growth of duckweed was kept down by frequent harvesting. Duckweed has been harvested in 4 days periods in the second reactor and diurnal P analyses on samples have shown that P removal was 54 % before harvesting. After covering with new duckweed harvested on the 8th day, overall removal efficiency was 85.3 % (P concentration decreasing from 15 mg L-1 to 2.2 mg L-1). The removal in the third reactor (2 days harvesting periods) increased quite strikingly (Fig. 1). From P analyses removal efficiency was calculated reaching 41.3 %, 72 %, 90 % and 96.7 % after 2, 4, 6, and 8 days (initial P concentration decreased from 15 mg L-1 to 0.5 mg L-1). In laboratory experiments phosphate can be successfully removed when duckweed is frequently harvested.

[8] Hasar, H., Ipek, U., Obek, E. and Saatci, Y., 2000, Use of Duckweed (Lemna minor L.) in Advanced Treatment, Su Kirliligi Kontrol Dergisi 10, 9-13. [9] Sculthorpe, C.D., 1967, The Biology of Aquatic Vascular Plants, Edward Arnold, London UK. [10] Brix, H., 1993, 'Wastewater Treatment in Constructed Wetlands: System Design, Removal, Processes and Treatment Performance', Mashiri, G.A. (eds.), Constructed Wetlands for Water Ouality Improvement, Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, pp. 9-22. [11] Boniardi, N., Vatta, G., Rota, R., Nano, G. and Carra, S., 1994, 'Removal of Water Pollutants by Lemna gibba', The Chem. Eng. 54, 41-48. [12] Zirschy, J. and Reed, S.C., 1988, 'The use of Duckweed for Wastewater Treatment', J. WPCF 60, 1253-1258. [13] Harvey, R.M. and Fox, J.L., 1973, 'Nutrient removal using Lemna minor', J. WPCF 45, 1928-1938. [14] APHA, 1992, Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 18th edn. Am. Publ. Health Assoc., Washington D.C., USA.

REFERENCES
[1] Sidat, M., Kasan, H.C. and Bux, F., 1999, Laboratory-Scale Investigation of Biological Phosphate Removal from Municipal Wastwater; Water SA 29, 459-462. Received for publication: October 23, 2001 Accepted for publication: December 27, 2001 [2] Bayhan, H., Aka, L., Altay, A., and Sakar, S., 1996, 'Yzen Su Bitkileri ile At iksulardan Ntrient Giderimi', Tarim evre liskileri Symposium. Mersin, Turkey, pp. 589-598. [3] Mandi, L., 1994, Marakesh Wastewater Purification Experiment Using Vascular Aquatic Plants Eichhornia crassipes and Lemna gibba, Wat. Sci. Tech. 29, 283-287. [4] Davis, C.B. and Van Der Valk, A.G., 1983, 'Uptake and Release of Nutrients by Liming and Decomposing Typha glauca Godr.', Tissues at Eagle LaIce, Iowa. Aquat. Bot. 16, 75-89. [5] Drizo, A., Frost, C.A., Grace, J., 1997, 'Phosphate and Ammoniumby Constructed Wetlands with Horizontal Subsurface Flow Using Shale as a Substrate', Wat. Sci. Tech. 35, 95-102. [6] Bolton, K.G.E. and Greenway, M., 1997, 'A Feasibility Study of Melaleuca Trees for Use in Constructed Wetlands in Subtropieal Australia', Wat. Sci. Tech. 35, 247-254. [7] Bonomo, L., Pastorelli, G. and Zambon, N., 1997, 'Advantages and Limitations of Duckweed-Based Wastewater Treatment Syystems', Wat. Sci. Tech. 35, 239-"46.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Halil Hasar Firat University Faculty of Engineering Department of Environmental Engineering 23119-Elazig, TURKEY e-mail: hhasar@firat.edu.tr
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