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Changes in physico-chemical composition of wastewater by growing Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia in an arid environment in Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is facing an acute shortage of high-quality water, which is further aggravated due to inadequate and nonrenewable groundwater resources. Hence, it is crucial to explore other alternatives, such as natural wastewater treatment (phytoremediation), for water supplies that can both lower the dependence on groundwater resources and overcome the challenges and limitations associated with conventional wastewater treatment technologies. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to study the performance and efficiency of green plants such as Typha latifolia L. (T. latifolia) (broadleaf cattail) and Phragmites australis (Cav.) Train, ex Steud. (P. australis) (common reed) for wastewater treatment in eastern Saudi Arabia. The experiment was conducted in fiberglass tanks (each with a capacity of 4.0 × 7.0 × 0.5 m3) in the field. There were a total of 4 fiberglass tanks with 2 replications. A percent decrease of 72.86% and 49.74%, 39.30% and 18.07%, 39.84% and 52.87%, 38.73% and 40.86%, 74.49% and 57.82%, and 66.82% and 63.14% was observed for turbidity, TSS, nitrate, ammonia, BOD, and COD by growing P. australis and T. latifolia, respectively. Heavy metals such as aluminum, zinc, and arsenic showed a considerable reduction in pollutants in treated water compared to raw wastewater under both plants. Overall, it appears that the improvement in wastewater quality was better by growing P. australis than T. latifolia; however, there were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between the two plant means in their performance of raw wastewater treatment. The study results indicate that green plants could be used in a phytoremediation system to treat wastewater in rural and small communities.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The research team takes this opportunity to thank King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for providing funds and laboratory facilities for carrying this study under research grant number 31-499. Special thanks to the Director of Hofuf Wastewater Treatment Plant (HWTP) for cooperation and access to the various facilities during the experiment. The project research team is happy to extend their thanks and gratitude to some colleagues of the research center for their help and assistance in the field work.

Funding

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, funded this study under research grant number 31–499.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Energy and Water Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), P. O. Box 6086, Riyadh, 11442, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Abdulaziz S. Alquwaizany, Ghulam Hussain & Abdullah I. Al-Zarah

Authors
  1. Abdulaziz S. Alquwaizany
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  2. Ghulam Hussain
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  3. Abdullah I. Al-Zarah
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Contributions

GH and AIA planned, designed, and conducted the experiments. ASA, GH, and AIA conducted the sampling and analysis for different physicochemical parameters and statistical analysis. ASA and GH drafted the manuscript. All authors contributed to the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Abdulaziz S. Alquwaizany.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Alquwaizany, A.S., Hussain, G. & Al-Zarah, A.I. Changes in physico-chemical composition of wastewater by growing Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia in an arid environment in Saudi Arabia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 39838–39846 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-18369-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-18369-3

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