Journal Article

Screening of 18 species for digestate phytodepuration

Breschigliaro, Simone, Pavan, Francesca, Borin, Maurizio

2015

Overview

This experiment assesses the aptitude of 18 species in treating the digestate liquid fraction (DLF) in a floating wetland treatment system. The pilot system was created in NE Italy in 2010 and consists of a surface-flow system with 180 floating elements (Tech-IA®) vegetated with ten halophytes and eight other wetland species. The species were transplanted in July 2011 in basins filled with different proportions of DLF/water (DLF/w); periodic increasing of the DLF/w ratio was imposed after transplanting, reaching the worst conditions for plants in summer 2012 (highest EC value 7.3 mS cm/L and NH₄-N content 225 mg/L). It emerged that only Cynodon dactylon, Typha latifolia, Elytrigia atherica, Halimione portulacoides, Salicornia fruticosa, Artemisia caerulescens, Spartina maritima and Puccinellia palustris were able to survive under the system conditions. Halophytes showed higher dry matter production than other plants. The best root development (up to 40-cm depth) was recorded for Calamagrostis epigejos, Phragmites australis, T. latifolia and Juncus maritimus. The highest nitrogen (10–15 g/m²) and phosphorus (1–4 g/m²) uptakes were obtained with P. palustris, Iris pseudacorus and Aster tripolium. In conclusion, two halophytes, P. palustris and E. atherica, present the highest potential to be used to treat DLF in floating wetlands.

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag,Springer Berlin Heidelberg,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Adaptation, Physiological / Alternative energy sources / Amaranthaceae - growth & development / Amaranthaceae - metabolism / ammonium nitrogen / Aquatic plants / Aquatic Pollution / Artemisia / Artificial wetlands / Aster tripolium / basins / Biodegradation, Environmental / Biogas / Calamagrostis epigejos / Chemical oxygen demand / Cynodon dactylon / Dry matter / dry matter accumulation / Earth and Environmental Science / Ecotoxicology / Effluents / Elytrigia / Environment / Environmental Chemistry / Environmental Health / Flow system / Flowers & plants / Functions and Management / Halimione portulacoides / Halophytes / Iris pseudacorus / Italy / Juncus / Juncus maritimus / Nitrogen / Nitrogen - analysis / Nitrogen - metabolism / Phosphorus / Phosphorus - analysis / Phosphorus - metabolism / Phragmites australis / Poaceae - growth & development / Poaceae - metabolism / Puccinellia / Root development / Salicornia / Salt-Tolerant Plants - growth & development / Salt-Tolerant Plants - metabolism / screening / Spartina / Spartina maritima / summer / Tripolium pannonicum / Typha latifolia / Typhaceae - growth & development / Typhaceae - metabolism / Waste Water Technology / Water Management / Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis / Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism / Water Pollution Control / Water Purification / Wetland Systems: Ecology / Wetlands