Published date: Aug 10 2022

Journal Title: KnE Materials Science

Issue title: 1st International FibEnTech Congress (FibEnTech21) – New Opportunities for Fibrous Materials in the Ecological Transition

Pages: 168–175

DOI: 10.18502/kms.v7i1.11620

Pedro CorreiaPolytechnic Institute of Beja, Higher School of Agriculture, Department of Technologies and Applied Sciences, Rua Pedro Soares - Campus do IPBeja, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal

Carlos RibeiroPolytechnic Institute of Beja, Higher School of Agriculture, Department of Technologies and Applied Sciences, Rua Pedro Soares - Campus do IPBeja, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal

Humberto ChavesPolytechnic Institute of Beja, Higher School of Agriculture, Department of Technologies and Applied Sciences, Rua Pedro Soares - Campus do IPBeja, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal

Fátima CarvalhoPolytechnic Institute of Beja, Higher School of Agriculture, Department of Technologies and Applied Sciences, Rua Pedro Soares - Campus do IPBeja, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal

Adelaide Almeidamaalmeida@ipbeja.ptPolytechnic Institute of Beja, Higher School of Agriculture, Department of Technologies and Applied Sciences, Rua Pedro Soares - Campus do IPBeja, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal

The aim of this work was to evaluate the possibility of boron removal from synthetic wastewater using a vertical constructed flow (VFCW) planted with Vetiveria zizanioides. Two boron concentrations were used (15 ± 1 and 30 ± 1 mg L⁻¹) and a hydraulic load (H_L) of 191 ± 10 L m⁻²d⁻¹. The wastewater samples were taken and the flow rate in the inlet and outlet of the VFCW were measured. The levels of dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, pH and boron were determined in the wastewater. The concentrations of the essential elements and nutrients, namely total Kjeldhal nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium in above growth biomass composition were measured. The results showed that: boron removal efficiencies depended on the boron concentration, so 60 ± 3% was obtained for the 15 mg L⁻¹ concentration and 26 ± 2% for 30 mg L⁻¹; calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium concentrations in the vegetal biomass decreased to the boron concentration of 30 mg L⁻¹, and boron may have interfered with Vetiveria zizanioides growth.

Keywords: biomass composition, boron removal, light expanded clay aggregates, Vetiveria zizanioides, vertical flow constructed wetland

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[15] Rees R, Robinson B, Menon M, Lehmann E, Günthardt-Goerg M, Schulin R. Boron accumulation and toxicity in hybrid poplar (Populus nigra x euramericana). Environmental Science & Technology. 2011;45:10538–10543.

[16] Turker O, Vymazal J, Ture C. Constructed wetlands for boron removal. Ecological Engineering. 2014;64:350-359.

[17] Irawan C, Kuo YL, Liu J. Treatment of boron-containing optoelectronic wastewater by precipitation process. Desalination. 2011;280:146-151.

[18] Correia P. Phytoremediation of effluent with high levels of nitrogen and boron. Beja: Polytechnic Institute of Beja - School of Agriculture; 2019.

[19] Wolska J, Bryjak M. Methods for boron removal from aqueous solutions — A review. Desalination. 2013;310:18–24.

[20] Barth SR. Utilization of boron as a critical parameter in water quality evaluation: Implications for thermal and mineral water resources in SW Germany and N Switzerland. Environmental Geology. 2000;40:73-89.

[21] Kluczka J, Korolewicz T, Zołotajkin M, Adamek J. Boron removal from water and wastewater using. Water Resources and Industry. 2015;11:46-57.

[22] Allende L, Fletcher T, Sun G. The effect of substrate media on the removal of arsenic, boron and iron from an acidic wastewater in planted column reactors. Chemical Engineering Journal. 2012;11:46-57.

[23] Allende L, Eugenia K, Fletcher TD. The influence of media type on removal of arsenic, iron and boron from acidic wastewater in horizontal flow wetland microcosms planted with Phragmites australis. Chemical Engineering Journal. 2014;246:217-228.

[24] Kröpfelova L, Vymazal J, Svehla J, Stíchová J. Removal of trace elements in three horizontal sub-surface flow constructed wetlands in the Czech Republic. Environmental Pollution. 2009;157:1186-1194.

[25] Ye Z, Lin Z, Whiting S, de Souza M, Terry N. Possible use of constructed wetland to remove selenocyanate, arsenic, and boron from electric utility wastewater. Chemosphere. 2013;52:1571-1579.

[26] Almeida A, Carvalho F, Imaginário M. Nitrate removal in vertical flow constructed wetland planted with Vetiveria zizanioides: Effect of hydraulic load. Ecological Engineering 2017; 99:535–542.

[27] Clesceri L, Greenberg A, Eaton E. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 19th ed. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association; 1995.

[28] Horneck A, Miller R. Handbook of reference method for plant analysis, Boca Raton. CRC Press; 1998; 57–84.

[29] Gross A, Shmueli O, Ronen Z, Raveh E. Recycled vertical flow constructed wetland ( RVFCW )— A novel method of recycling greywater for irrigation in small communities and households. Chemosphere. 2007;66:916–923.

[30] Rees R, Robinson B, Menon M, Lehmann E, Günthardt-Goerg M, Schulin R. Boron accumulation and toxicity in hybrid poplar (Populus nigra x euramericana). Environmental Science & Technology. 2011;45:10538–10543.