Plants Powering Cleaner Wastewater: Reed Bed Treatment | IJB 2016

Hontonho E. J. Deguenon, Martin P. Aina, Akuemaho V. O. Akowanou, and Dominique C. K. Sohounhloue. From the institute of Benin. wrote a research paper about, Plants Powering Cleaner Wastewater: Reed Bed Treatment. Entitled, Purifying performances of different plants in domestic waste water treatment with reed beds. This research paper published by the  International Journal of Biosciences | IJB. an open access scholarly research journal on Biosciences, under the affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences | INNSpub, an open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher.

Abstract

The rejection of untreated waste water in the nature decreases groundwater quality. Waste water treatment plants like activated sludge plant and stabilization pond plant built in Benin show their limits. Due to these problems, reed beds have to be experimented to bring a durable solution to waste water treatment problems in Benin. Compare to activated sludge plant and to stabilization pond plant, reed beds are the cheapest based on the technical and economical point of view. On addition to that, reed beds are easy to build and to maintain. The experiment plant is composed of four basins. The first basin is unplanted. The second basin is planted with Echinochloa pyramidalis. The third basin is planted with Panicum maximum and the last basin is planted with Typha domingensis. Each basin is a 1 m3 tank with drilled drain pipes. Three differentl ayers of gravel have been put on drilled drain pipes. Treated water analysis showed that the Typha domingensis basin has the best purfiying performances with final concentrations : 0 mg/L ; 21,10 mg/L ; 10 mg/L ; 0 mg/L et 12,20 mg/L respectively for TSS, COD, BOD5, TKN and TP. These final concentrations reached the discharge standards for municipal wastewater treatment plant in Benin. Consequently, Typha domingensis beds can be popularized by the beninese government to solve waste water treatment problems. 

Introduction

In Benin, available fresh water is more and more polluted by domestic waste water. This pollution decreases groundwater quality and leads to hydric diseases. This pollution also increases the drinking water price. Hydric diseases in volve thousand children deaths each year in Benin. In Benin, poor people consume polluted water without treatment. According to Kivaisi, reed bed plant is a cheaper waste water treatment process based on technical and economical point of view. On addition to that reed beds can be used to solve waste water treatment problems in developing countries like Benin (Kivaisi, 2001). Moreover, reed beds are easy to build and to maintain (Denny, 1997; Haberl, 1999; Konnerup et al., 2009). Hounkpe demonstated that the domestic waste water management in Benin is very critical. Benin has only three waste water treatment plants to treat waste water conveyed by emptying trucks. There are a waste water treatment plant in Ekpe, PortoNovo and Parakou. Sadly these waste water treatment plants show their limits (Hounkpe, 2014). Due to all these problems, reed beds have to be experimented to bring a durable solution to waste water treatment problems in Benin (Aina et al., 2012). Benin is a developing country. So reed bed plant is a new idea to explore in order to treat waste water in Benin. Deguenon has been the first scientist to assess purification performance of planted filters in Benin using phragmites (Deguenon, 2013). Now, three other species of plant will be tested and their purification performances will be compared. So that a technical document will be written and given to each municipal authority to popularize reed bed process in every household in Benin.

The purification of waste water in reed beds occurs in different stages. These stages are known and have been developed by many scientists (Salt et al., 1998; Williams, 2002; Vymazal, 2005; Imfeld et al., 2009; Reiche et al., 2010). According to Calheiros et al. (2009), purification’s mechanism of waste water in reed beds leans on physical, chemical and biological processes (Microbiological degradation in the rhizosphere, absorption and plant metabolism). The wastewater treatment process by planted filters is based on the principle of fixed cultures that is to say of aerobic biological treatment in gravel layers fine to coarse (Poulet et al., 2004). The gravel is not regularly renewed or washed. In planted filter, wastewater are treated by firstly a filtration and then anaerobic biological degradation (Seidel, 1967; Prigent, 2012). There are two kinds of planted filtert ypes according to the flow direction: vertical flow’s planted filters and horizontal flow’s planted filters. Only vertical flow’s planted filters are experimented in this study. Several plants have been used by scientists in reed beds. All Beninese plants have been listed in a book named « flore analytique du Bénin ». To popularize reed beds in Benin, plants have to be available and accessible to people. According to the combination of information provided by the book named « flore analytique du Bénin » and the list of plants often used in reed beds, three plants can be used in Benin for reed beds: Typha domingensis, Panicum maximum and Echinochloa pyramidalis Ouattara experimented one Panicum maximum planted filter basin to treat domestic waste water. These domestic wastewater have the following characteristics: 1519 ± 247 mg/l; 1256 ± 571 mgO2/l; 128 ± 58 mg/l et 6, 2 ± 2,2 mg/l respectively for TSS, COD, NH4 +, PO4 3- . With these domestic wastewater Ouattara obtained the following purification yields: 91,4%, 85, 5%, 86, 5%, 74% respectively for TSS, COD, NH4 +, PO4 3- (Ouattara et al., 2008). Korboulewsky tested one Typha latifolia planted filter basin to treat domestic waste water. These domestic waste water have the following characteristics : 7360 mg/L, 6055 mg/L,211 mg/L, 37mg/L respectively for TSS, COD, TKN, TP. With these domestic waste water Korboulewsky obtained the following purification yields: 99,9%; 98,5%; 99,5% et 99,2% respectively for TSS, COD, TKN, TP. Ouattara and Korboulewsky used vertical flow for their planted filter. Korboulewsky’s domestic waste water are higher concentrated than Ouattara’s domestic waste water. Nevertheless, when Ouattara’s purification yields are compared to Korboulewsky’s yields, Typha latifolia’s yields seems to be upper than Panicum maximum’s yields. So despite the fact that Korboulewsky used higher concentrated waste water, Typha latifolia’s purification yields is upper than Panicum maximum’s purification yields. In other words, Typha latifolia’s purification capacity is exceptional. Kengne experimented one Echinochloa pyramidalis planted filter basin to treat faecal sludge. Kengne obtained the following purfication yields : 92%, 98% and 78% respectively for COD, TSS and NH4 + (Kengne, 2008). If a purification capacity classification from higher to lower is made for these three plants (Typha latifolia, Panicum maximum and Echinochloa pyramidalis), Echinochloa pyramidalis will be the first in this diagram, then Typha latifolia and Panicum maximum will be the last one. The aim of this study is to compare the purification capacity of three plants (Typha domingensis, Panicum maximum and Echinochloa pyramidalis) in order to show if Echinochloa pyramidalisis is also the highest purification plant in Beninese weather conditions.

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Article source : Purifying performances of different plants in domestic waste water treatment with reed beds