Phytoremediation Plant

Abstract

An increasing world’s population has started to put a greater burden on our fresh water resources of which the majority is used to satisfy humanities agricultural needs while increasing amounts of sewage from an exponentially urbanizing society goes unrecycled. Current sewage treatment methods are inefficient when it comes to agricultural purposes as they strip the water of phosphates and nitrates, crucial compounds for plant growth. We propose the use of phytoremediation, the process of chemically purifying water using plants, as the process of choice to purify wastewater. This method removes all chemical compounds while retaining phosphates and nitrates. We have designed an easily scalable low-cost structure that would purify sewage by running it through multiple levels of the water hyacinth plant. A continuous process, the resulting affluent would remove toxins such as heavy metals and reduce BOD and COD to levels suitable for agriculture while retaining phosphates and nitrates optimal for plant growth. This structure requires very little oversight and maintenance. This promises a low-cost method of producing nutrient rich water in rural areas and places suffering from drought while freeing up fresh water resources to satisfy humanity's needs.