TREATMENT OF

WASTEWATER BY
PHYTOREMEDIATION
TECHNOLOGY

WAN NAJWA HANIM BINTI WAN AHMAD

PA11026

PHYTOREMEDIATION (DEFINE)

Phyto =plant
Remedium = restoring balance, or remediating.
Phytoremediation = removing contaminants in soils, water
or air with plants.
Role of the plants= To contain, degrade or eliminate metals,
pesticides, solvents, explosives, crude oil and its
derivatives, and various other contaminants from the
mediums that contain them.
Phytoremediation is one of suitable treatment for
wastewater as it uses the high efficiently nutrient absorbing
plants for reducing the chemical contents from the sewage
and playing as a layer or media for microbial growth.

CATEGORY
Phytoremediation for Organic Contaminant
Phytodegradation
-metabolic processes within the plant
-degraded and incorporated into the plant tissues
-enzymes in plants catalyse and accelerate
chemical reactions

Cont
Rhizodegradation
-also called phyto-stimulation
-microbial activity in the rhizosphere
-microorganisms (yeast, fungi, or bacteria)
consume organic substances.
-natural substances released by the plant roots
(sugars, alcohols, and acids) also provides food
for soil microorganisms to enhance their activity.

Cont..
Phytovolatilisation
-uptakes and transpires organic contaminant by
utilization a plant.
-release the modified form of the contaminant from
the plant to the atmosphere.
-occurs as growing trees and other plants take up
water and the organic contaminants.
-contaminants can pass through the plants to the
leaves and evaporate/volatilise into the
atmosphere

 Phytoremediation for Metal Contaminant

Phytoextraction
-also known as phytoaccumulation
-uptake of metals from soil by plant roots.
-have been allowed to grow for some time
-if incineration takes part, the ash must be
disposed of in a hazardous waste landfill

 Rhizofiltration
-adsorption or precipitation of contaminants onto plant
roots (or absorption into the roots)
-rhizofiltration is similar to phytoextraction, but the
plants are used to clean up contaminated groundwater
rather than soil.
-Contaminated water is either collected from a waste site
or brought to the plants or the plants are planted in the
contaminated area, where the roots then take up the
water and the contaminants dissolved in it.
-As the roots become saturated with contaminants, they
are harvested.

 Phytostabilisation
-This process uses certain plant species to
immobilise contaminants in the soil and
groundwater through absorption and
accumulation by roots, adsorption onto roots, or
precipitation within the root zone of plants
(rhizosphere).
-This process reduces the mobility of the
contaminant and prevents migration to the
groundwater or air, and also reduces
bioavailability for entry into the food chain.

ADVANTAGES
It is low cost
It is passive and solar.
The amount of contaminated material going
to landfills can be greatly reduced.
Energy can be recovered from the controlled
combustion of the harvested biomass.

DISADVANTAGES
It usually requires nutrient addition.
High metal and other contaminant
concentrations can be toxic to the plants.
Access to the site must be controlled.
The contaminants being treated by
phytoremediation may be transferred across
media (i.e., they may enter groundwater or may
bioaccumulate in animals).
For mixed contaminant sites (i.e., organic and
inorganic) more than one phytoremediation
methodology may be required.