Elucidating the Potential of Vertical Flow-Constructed Wetlands Vegetated with Different Wetland Plant Species for the Remediation of Chromium-Contaminated Water

Fazila Younas, Irshad Bibi, Muhammad Afzal, Nabeel Khan Niazi and Zubair Aslam
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Fazila Younas: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Irshad Bibi: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Muhammad Afzal: Soil and Environmental Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Nabeel Khan Niazi: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Zubair Aslam: Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: Water scarcity is one of the key global challenges affecting food safety, food security, and human health. Constructed wetlands (CWs) provide a sustainable tool to remediate wastewater. Here we explored the potential of vertical flow-CWs (VF-CWs) vegetated with ten indigenous wetland plant species to treat chromium (Cr)-contaminated water. The wetland plants were vegetated to develop VF-CWs to treat Cr-contaminated water in a batch mode. Results revealed that the Cr removal potential of VF-CWs vegetated with different wetland plants ranged from 47% to 92% at low (15 mg L −1 ) Cr levels and 36% to 92% at high (30 mg L −1 ) Cr levels, with the maximum (92%) Cr removal exhibited by VF-CWs vegetated with Leptochloa fusca. Hexavalent Cr (Cr(VI)) was reduced to trivalent Cr (Cr(III)) in treated water (96–99 %) of all VF-CWs. All the wetland plants accumulated Cr in the shoot (1.9–34 mg kg −1 dry weight (DW)), although Cr content was higher in the roots (74–698 mg kg −1 DW) than in the shoots. Brachiaria mutica showed the highest Cr accumulation in the roots and shoots (698 and 45 mg kg −1 DW, respectively), followed by Leptochloa fusca . The high Cr level significantly ( p < 0.05) decreased the stress tolerance index (STI) percentage of the plant species. Our data provide strong evidence to support the application of VF-CWs vegetated with different indigenous wetland plants as a sustainable Cr-contaminated water treatment technology such as tannery wastewater.

Keywords: chromium; constructed wetlands; indigenous wetland plants; environmental risk; reuse of Cr-contaminated water (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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