Evaluation of Heliconia psittacorum in a Horizontal Flow Constructed Wetland (HFCW) System for the Treatment of Textile Wastewater

Abstract

Abstract Constructed wetlands have promised sustainable treatment systems to remediate various industrial wastewaters, including textile. Textile wastewater contains a complex constituent of inorganic and organic pollutants such as dyes, toxic metals, surfactants, nutrients, and total dissolved solids. This preliminary study aims to evaluate the performance of Heliconia psittacorum in a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HFCW) system for the remediation of textile wastewater. An HFCW system was set in a tank with a volume of 2 m3 divided by three sections where each section filled with coarse gravel, fine gravel, and sand media respectively resulted in a bed volume of 0.322 m3. The top of media was added compost then planted with Heliconia psittacorum. Diluted textile wastewater with a concentration of 20% was fed to the system in a continuous horizontal flow with an HRT of 2.7 days. The performance of the HFCW system showed water quality improvement from the wastewater within 11 weeks of observation. DO increased from < 2 to around 4 mg/L, pH and conductivity increased considerably. High decrease in NH4 and TN concentrations in the effluent of the HFCW system were observed with fluctuated removal efficiency (RE). Maximum RE for ammonia, TN, TSS, and COD was > 80%. Although showing a decreasing pattern during observation, phosphorus was not effectively removed by Heliconia psittacorum in the studied HFCW system. Cleaner effluent was observed than much dirty and black colour of influent. Heliconia psittacorum grew well with increased shoot height and numbers of new plant seedlings. The long-term observation was needed for Heliconia psittacorum in the HFCW system to reach a steady state and to examine its potential to remediate textile wastewater.