Chromium Removal in Constructed Wetlands and Physiological Response of emergent macrophytes from Argentina.

MONFERRÁN, MAGDALENA; ARÁN, DANIELA S.; FERNÁNDEZ-CIRELLI, ALICIA; HARGUINTEGUY, CARLOS A.; PIGNATA, M. LUISA

Congreso; 8 TH YOUNG ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS MEETING; 2019

Leather tanning generates liquid effluents with highcontents of organic matter, sulfides and trivalent chromium. Thedischarge of these untreated effluents in aquatic environmentsgenerate serious problems with ecological risks. The use ofconstructed wetlands is considered a reliable technology for thetreatment of wastewater with metals, and aquatic plants have afundamental role in these systems. Schoenoplectus californicus,Juncus effusus and Eleocharis palustris are native aquatic plants,of interest for their use in the phytoextraction of Cr. Thesemacrophytes are perennial, rooted, rhizomatous and are part of theemergent vegetation in many lakes and estuarine areas of theArgentine Republic. Experimental work was developed to testthe hypothesis that the aquatic species Schoenoplectus californicus,Juncus effusus and Eleocharis palustris are resistant to chromiumexposure and can accumulate this metal in the root.