Sewage pollution: genotoxicity assessment and phytoremediation of nutrients excess with Hydrocotyle ranunculoides

BASÍLICO, G.; MAGDALENO, A.; PAZ, M.; MORETTON, J.; FAGGI, A.; DE CABO, L.

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2018

0167-6369

The discharge of sewageeffluents into low-order streams has negative effects on water quality.  Macrophytes can be efficient in the treatmentof this wastewater due to the removal of the main pollutants. The genotoxicityof sewage-polluted water discharging into La Choza stream was evaluated by testingwith Allium cepa. Also, aphytoremediation assay with continuous recirculation of the residual water wasconducted for 12 days. Three treatments were carried out. One treatment (Hr) wasperformed with a macrophyte (Hydrocotyleranunculoides); and two treatments were conducted without macrophytes: withlighting (Ai) and without lighting (Ao). The wastewater was toxic according to allthe evaluated indexes (mitotic index, frequency of chromosomal aberrations andmicronucleus). High concentrations of ammonium, dissolved inorganic nitrogen(DIN), total (TP) and soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP) and indicators of faecalcontamination were determined in wastewater. The ammonium, DIN, SRP and TPloads at the end of the assay were significantly lower in the treatments withlight (Hr and Ai).  So, the nutrientremoval was due to their absorption and adsorption by the periphyton and H. ranunculoides. Our results lead us torecommend the maintenance and planting of macrophytes in lowland streamssubject to sewage pollution.