AUTHOR=Prakash Diwakar , Kumar Ram , Rajan Kumar , Patel Abhishek , Yadav Devesh Kumar , Dhanker Raunak , Khudsar Faiyaz A. 

TITLE=Integrated application of macrophytes and zooplankton for wastewater treatment

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.941841

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2022.941841

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=<p>The increasing amount of sewage has become a serious concern globally, demanding sustainable solutions. The constructed wetland system (CWS) can be installed at the wastewater discharge site and properly screened bio-purifiers can be used for efficient wastewater treatment. Filter-feeding zooplankton have the potential to graze on bacteria and reduce biological oxygen demand. However, higher suspended particles choke the zooplankton filtering appendages. An integrated application of zooplankton and macrophytes can solve the problems by reducing contaminants and providing the surface area for zooplankton to take refuge. Using three different approaches: (a) screening of natural bio-purifiers through time series study, (b) assessment of sewage treatment potential of screened bio-purifiers in the CWS and, (c) evaluation of the growth potential of screened bio-purifiers in untreated wastewater, this study explored the combined use of macrophyte and zooplankton in the CWS. The 3-year time series study in the vicinity of the wastewater discharge area recorded the zooplankton, <italic>Brachionus angularis</italic> and <italic>Moina macrocopa</italic> as highly indicative zooplankton. The top two highly indicative macrophytes are <italic>Typha</italic> and <italic>Phragmites</italic>. Under laboratory conditions, the population growth rates of <italic>B. angularis</italic> and <italic>M. macrocopa</italic> were significantly higher in wastewater without any external nutrient source than those in control with algae as a food source. The integrated application of zooplankton (<italic>B. angularis</italic> and <italic>M. macrocopa</italic>) macrophytes (<italic>Typha and Phragmites</italic>) in CWS yielded upto 56% reduction in the total bacterial count and upto 92% reduction in BOD along with substantial increase in the DO level. The present results strongly suggested the use of CWS planted with macrophytes and inoculated by zooplankton. The usefulness of this system is further supported by the natural occurrence of selected species<italic>,</italic> as it is easy to maintain, has low installation cost, and excellent efficiency in treating wastewater. As both the zooplankton species are preferred live feed for rearing of fish larvae, the present results suggested the use of zooplankton and macrophytes for treatment of wastewater, reduction of sludge, and harvest of live feeds for the aquaculture industry to augment circularity and promote decentralized wastewater treatment.</p>