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Phytoremediation of dairy effluent by constructed wetland technology

The Environmentalist volume 31, pages 263–278 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Constructed wetlands are artificial wastewater treatment systems consisting of shallow ponds or channels which have been planted with aquatic plants and which rely upon natural microbial, biological, physical and chemical process to treat wastewater and are gaining acceptance in the recent years as a viable option for the treatment of industrial effluents and removal of toxic components. In this study, an attempt was made to compare the efficiency of aquatic macrophytes like Typha sp., Eichhornia sp., Salvinia sp., Pistia sp., Azolla sp. and Lemna sp. to treat the effluents from dairy factory, under laboratory conditions in constructed wetlands. The biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand of dairy effluent were reduced up to 65.4–83.07% and 70.4–85.3%, respectively, after treatment with constructed wetland technology.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge with gratitude the help and support from Prof. and Head Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kerala. Thanks are also due to University Grants Commission, India for the financial support to complete the project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

    S. Dipu, Anju A. Kumar & V. Salom Gnana Thanga

  2. Kerala State Biodiversity Board, Pallimukku, Pettah P.O., Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695 024, India

    S. Dipu

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  1. S. Dipu
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  2. Anju A. Kumar
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  3. V. Salom Gnana Thanga
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Correspondence to S. Dipu.

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Dipu, S., Kumar, A.A. & Thanga, V.S.G. Phytoremediation of dairy effluent by constructed wetland technology. Environmentalist 31, 263–278 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-011-9331-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-011-9331-z

Keywords

  • Biological oxygen demand
  • Chemical oxygen demand
  • Dairy effluent
  • Constructed wetlands
  • Phytoremediation
  • Macrophytes