Phytoremediation of Sewage Water for Raising Potted Plants using Lemna sp.

A large number of plants have the potential to remediate polluted water. The phytoremediated water, if not considered too fit for drinking as per WHO standards, can be used for non-potable purposes such as watering of plants or washing. The primary concern in water used for irrigation, is its salinity level. Since salts in water can affect both the soil structure and crop yield, it is important to maintain a certain level of salts, an indicator of suitability of water for irrigation purposes. The present study was therefore undertaken at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi to remediate sewage water generated at the college campus, for irrigation purposes using duckweed (Lemna sp), easily available in and around the study site. Duckweed was grown for two weeks in sewage, pond and tap water taken from Kirori Mal College site. The light and dark cycle with 6 hrs of natural sunlight was provided. After 15 days the water samples were tested for hardness, alkalinity, boron, Ca ^²+ and Na⁺ concentration, Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) at Shri Ram Institute of Industrial Research. The untreated samples served as control. The duckweed showed maximum growth in terms of harvested biomass in sewage water during the second week. The alkalinity in all samples showed a decrease with respect to their control. The preliminary studies have shown that sewage water can be phytoremediated for irrigation purposes using duckweed. The results are discussed in light of the literature available on phytoremediation by duckweed.

@article{sachin12026,
  author  = {Sachin1, Rohit Raj1, Renu Kathpalia1, Inderdeep Kaur2*},
  title   = {{Phytoremediation of Sewage Water for Raising Potted Plants using Lemna sp.}},
  journal = {Journal of Bioresearch},
  year    = {2026},
  volume  = {2},
  number  = {2},
  doi     = {https://doi.org/10.56875/7},
}