IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i10p7814-d1143571.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Study on the Efficiency of a Hydroponic Treatment for Removing Organic Loading from Wastewater and Its Application as a Nutrient for the “ Amaranthus campestris ” Plant for Sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • J. M. Aishwarya

    (Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India)

  • R. Vidhya

    (Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India)

Abstract

The investments needed for treating the wastewater produced by an ever-growing population has raised serious concerns regarding the environmental upkeep of many cities across the world. The concept of the circular economy in this context, i.e., the reuse of partially treated water to produce hydroponic plants, is the central idea of this paper. Usage of partially treated (secondary treated) wastewater for the growth of Amaranthus campestris is investigated. The many benefits here are the cost reduction in the treatment process, the reuse of water for commercial plants, the use of treated water, and no pressure on soil all address sustainable development goals such as zero hunger, no poverty, clean water, and sanitation. This study focuses on the degree of pollutant removal using Amaranthus campestris , a local green widely used in India. Secondary-treated domestic wastewater was fed to the hydroponic medium through batches by using an aerobic process, and the hydraulic retention time was maintained for 10 days. In addition to wastewater, a commercial hydroponic solution was added. This study was carried out to verify the reduction in organic loading in wastewater and the growth of plants in comparison with commercial hydroponic solutions. The total COD and BOD removal was significant ( p < 0.0009), ranging from 58.5% to 72.5% and 80% to 82.5%, respectively, from the 0th day to the 50th day. After treatment, the lowest nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus values in DWW were 2.4 mg/L, 5.4 mg/L, and 0.41 mg/L, found on the 20th, 30th, and 40th days of the experiment, respectively. It was also proven that the treated wastewater from the outlet of the hydroponic reactor was within the standard limits and safe to discharge into water bodies. Based on these results, it is encouraging to implement this method at a large scale in small local communities at a lower cost because of its simplified design in promoting a water-based circular economy, which has been proven to reduce carbon footprints, thus supporting a green environment.

Suggested Citation

  • J. M. Aishwarya & R. Vidhya, 2023. "Study on the Efficiency of a Hydroponic Treatment for Removing Organic Loading from Wastewater and Its Application as a Nutrient for the “ Amaranthus campestris ” Plant for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:7814-:d:1143571
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/7814/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/7814/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Grewal, Harsharn S. & Maheshwari, Basant & Parks, Sophie E., 2011. "Water and nutrient use efficiency of a low-cost hydroponic greenhouse for a cucumber crop: An Australian case study," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(5), pages 841-846, March.
    2. Egbuikwem, Precious N. & Mierzwa, Jose C. & Saroj, Devendra P., 2020. "Assessment of suspended growth biological process for treatment and reuse of mixed wastewater for irrigation of edible crops under hydroponic conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    3. Magwaza, Shirly Tentile & Magwaza, Lembe Samukelo & Odindo, Alfred Oduor & Mditshwa, Asanda & Buckley, Christopher, 2020. "Evaluating the feasibility of human excreta-derived material for the production of hydroponically grown tomato plants - Part II: Growth and yield," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    4. Hussain, M. Iftikhar & Muscolo, Adele & Farooq, Muhammad & Ahmad, Waqar, 2019. "Sustainable use and management of non-conventional water resources for rehabilitation of marginal lands in arid and semiarid environments," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 462-476.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Li, Sien & Kang, Shaozhong & Zhang, Lu & Du, Taisheng & Tong, Ling & Ding, Risheng & Guo, Weihua & Zhao, Peng & Chen, Xia & Xiao, Huan, 2015. "Ecosystem water use efficiency for a sparse vineyard in arid northwest China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 24-33.
    2. Katsoulas, N. & Sapounas, A. & De Zwart, F. & Dieleman, J.A. & Stanghellini, C., 2015. "Reducing ventilation requirements in semi-closed greenhouses increases water use efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 90-99.
    3. Ghalia Saleem Aljeddani, 2022. "Reusing Sewage Effluent in Greening Urban Areas: A Case Study of: Southern Jeddah, Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Fayezizadeh, Mohammad Reza & Ansari, Naser Alam Zadeh & Albaji, Mohammad & Khaleghi, Esmail, 2021. "Effects of hydroponic systems on yield, water productivity and stomatal gas exchange of greenhouse tomato cultivars," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    5. Hashmat, Sherjeel & Shahid, Muhammad & Tanwir, Kashif & Abbas, Saghir & Ali, Qasim & Niazi, Nabeel Khan & Akram, Muhammad Sohail & Saleem, Muhammad Hamzah & Javed, Muhammad Tariq, 2021. "Elucidating distinct oxidative stress management, nutrient acquisition and yield responses of Pisum sativum L. fertigated with diluted and treated wastewater," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    6. Yiding Wang & Yaning Chen & Weili Duan & Li Jiao, 2022. "Evaluation of Sustainable Water Resource Use in the Tarim River Basin Based on Water Footprint," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-18, August.
    7. Efthymios Rodias & Eirini Aivazidou & Charisios Achillas & Dimitrios Aidonis & Dionysis Bochtis, 2020. "Water-Energy-Nutrients Synergies in the Agrifood Sector: A Circular Economy Framework," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.
    8. Mahmoud S. Hashem & Wei Guo & Xuebin Qi & Ping Li, 2022. "Assessing the Effect of Irrigation with Reclaimed Water Using Different Irrigation Techniques on Tomatoes Quality Parameters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-19, March.
    9. Maria Josiell Nascimento da Silva & Ahmad Saeed Khan & Patrícia Verônica Pinheiro Sales Lima, 2021. "Graywater Reuse: The Effects on Income and Agricultural Production Sustainability of Family Farming Systems in the Semiarid Region of Ceará, Brazil," Journal of Agricultural Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 9(1), pages 44-64, June.
    10. Chojnacka, K. & Witek-Krowiak, A. & Moustakas, K. & Skrzypczak, D. & Mikula, K. & Loizidou, M., 2020. "A transition from conventional irrigation to fertigation with reclaimed wastewater: Prospects and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    11. Blok, Chris & Voogt, Wim & Barbagli, Tommaso, 2023. "Reducing nutrient imbalance in recirculating drainage solution of stone wool grown tomato," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    12. Hussain, M. Iftikhar & Al-Dakheel, Abdullah J. & Chaudhry, Usman Khalid & Khan, Muhammad Imran & ALHaithloul, Haifa Abdulaziz Sakit & Alghanem, Suliman Mohammed & Alaklabi, Abdullah, 2022. "Morpho-physiological response of barley to assess genotypic differences of salinity tolerance under hyper arid climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    13. Muhammad Iftikhar Hussain & Zafar Iqbal Khan & Majida Naeem & Kafeel Ahmad & Muhammad Umer Farooq Awan & Mona S. Alwahibi & Mohamed Soliman Elshikh, 2021. "Blood, Hair and Feces as an Indicator of Environmental Exposure of Sheep, Cow and Buffalo to Cobalt: A Health Risk Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-15, July.
    14. Lukas Simon Kriem & Carsten Pietzka & Marc Beckett & Luisa Gärtling & Benjamin Wriedt, 2023. "Electrochemical In Situ Hydrogen Peroxide Production Can Reduce Microbial Load in Bioponic Nutrient Solutions Derived from Organic Waste," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, November.
    15. Yang Kong & Weijun He & Liang Yuan & Juqin Shen & Min An & Dagmawi Mulugeta Degefu & Xin Gao & Zhaofang Zhang & Fuhua Sun & Zhongchi Wan, 2019. "Decoupling Analysis of Water Footprint and Economic Growth: A Case Study of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region from 2004 to 2017," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-20, December.
    16. Guo, Fu-Xing & Wang, Yan-Ping & Hou, Ting-Ting & Zhang, Lin-Sen & Mu, Yan & Wu, Fu-yong, 2021. "Variation of soil moisture and fine roots distribution adopts rainwater collection, infiltration promoting and soil anti-seepage system (RCIP-SA) in hilly apple orchard on the Loess Plateau of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    17. Dafne Crutchik & José Luis Campos, 2021. "Municipal Wastewater Reuse: Is it a Competitive Alternative to Seawater Desalination?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-16, June.
    18. Batool, Fauzia & Hussain, M. Iftikhar & Nazar, Sonaina & Bashir, Humayun & Khan, Zafar Iqbal & Ahmad, Kafeel & Alnuwaiser, Maha Abdallah & Yang, Hsi-Hsien, 2023. "Potential of sewage irrigation for heavy metal contamination in soil–wheat grain system: Ecological risk and environmental fate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    19. Hassan A. Awaad & Elsayed Mansour & Mohammad Akrami & Hassan E.S. Fath & Akbar A. Javadi & Abdelazim Negm, 2020. "Availability and Feasibility of Water Desalination as a Non-Conventional Resource for Agricultural Irrigation in the MENA Region: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-14, September.
    20. Jiayu Peng & Binghui Zheng & Zhaosheng Chu & Xing Wang, 2020. "Attaining Sustainable Water Resource Utilization in Lake Basins Using Progressive Operational Scenario Analysis," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 34(3), pages 887-904, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:7814-:d:1143571. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.