Phytoremediation and water purification

Abstract

Plants naturally uptake elements for their growth and maintenance - it was therefore conceived that if conditions were changed to facilitate this uptake, the plants would be suitable for use in water purification. Hydroponic setups allow for a greater measure of environmental control, in so that conditions may be skilfully changed to encourage plant uptake of contaminants to purify water. Thus, three experimental setups using hydroponics were implemented to assess: 1. Typical challenges faced when setting up large-scale phytoremediatory projects, 2. Rate and success of nitrate decontamination from water, 3. Rate and success of copper decontamination from water. A number of practical insights have been learned from the enacted setups, while notable reductions of nitrate (130ppm in 60 hours) and copper concentrations (65.1ppm in 144 hours) were observed. As such, the contribution of plants towards ecology, food production and aesthetic beauty does not encompass their entire potential. They have also shown to have promising attributes in environmental remediation.