Comparative Analysis of Ranunculus muricatus and Typha latifolia as Wetland Plants Applied for Domestic Wastewater Treatment in a Mesocosm Scale Study

Comparing other methods of waste water treatment,
constructed wetlands are one of the most fascinating practices
because being a natural process they are eco-friendly have low
construction and maintenance cost and have considerable capability
of wastewater treatment. The current research was focused mainly on
comparison of Ranunculus muricatus and Typha latifolia as wetland
plants for domestic wastewater treatment by designing and
constructing efficient pilot scale horizontal subsurface flow
mesocosms. Parameters like chemical oxygen demand, biological
oxygen demand, phosphates, sulphates, nitrites, nitrates, and
pathogenic indicator microbes were studied continuously with
successive treatments. Treatment efficiency of the system increases
with passage of time and with increase in temperature. Efficiency of
T. latifolia planted setups in open environment was fairly good for
parameters like COD and BOD5 which was showing reduction up to
82.5% for COD and 82.6% for BOD5 while DO was increased up to
125%. Efficiency of R. muricatus vegetated setup was also good but
lowers than that of T. latifolia planted showing 80.95% removal of
COD and BOD5. Ranunculus muricatus was found effective in
reducing bacterial count in wastewater. Both macrophytes were
found promising in wastewater treatment.

• S. Aziz
• M. Ali
• S. Asghar
• S. Ahmed

• Biological oxygen demand
• chemical oxygen demand
• horizontal subsurface flow
• Total suspended solids
• Wetland.

[1] Y. Zhang, “Design of a Constructed Wetland for Wastewater Treatment
and Reuse in Mount Pleasant, Utah,” 2012. All Graduate Plan B and
report, paper 216.
[2] M. Hazra, K.Avishek, G. Pathak, “Developing an Artificial Wetland
System for Wastewater Treatment: A Designing Perspective,”
IJEP.2011.
[3] A. Simi, C. Mitchell, “Design and Hydraulics Performance of a
Constructed Wetland Treating Oil Refinery Wastewater,” WST.Vol.40,
pp.301-307, 1999.
[4] C. C. Tanner, “Plants as ecosystem engineers in subsurface-flow
treatment wetlands,” WST. Vol.44 (11–12), pp.9–17, 2001.
[5] H. E. Muga, J. R. Mihelcic, “Sustainability of wastewater treatment
technologies”. JEM. Vol.88(3), pp.437-447, 2008.
[6] R. I. Smith, “Ecology and Field Biology”(3rd .Edn) Harper and Row.
New York. 1980.
[7] RH. Kadlec, RL. Knight, “Treatment Wetlands”. Boca Raton Lewis
Publishers., FL.pp. 893, 1996.
[8] G. Merlin, C. Sedilot, N. Herbert, D. Grasselly,“Treatment of tomato
greenhouses drainage solutions by experimental constructed wetlands”
in Proc.8th International Conf. Wetland Systems for Water Pollution
Control, University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania and IWA, 2002,pp.
526–533.
[9] AA. Chaudhry, “Wetlands In Pakistan: What Is Happening To Them?”
World Environment Day. 2010.
[10] RH. Kadlec, “Hydrological factors in wetland water treatment. In
Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment” DA. Hammer, ed.,
Lewis Publishers, USA, 1989, pp. 21-40
[11] U.S. EPA, “Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater
Treatment: A Technology Assessment” Office of Water, Washington,
USA, 1993, EPA 832-R-93-001.
[12] H. Brix, H. Schierup “The use of macrophytes in water pollution
control,” AMBIO. vol.18, pp. 100-107, 1989.
[13] J. Vymazal, L. Kröpfelová “Wastewater Treatment in Constructed
Wetlands with Horizontal Sub-Surface Flow,” Springer. Dordrecht,
Netherlands 2008.
[14] B. Collins, JV. McArthur, RR. Sharitz “Plant effects on microbial
assemblages and remediation of acidic coal pile runoff in mesocosm
treatment wetlands,” Ecological Enginering, vol.23, pp. 107-115, 2004.
[15] C. Munch, P. Kuschk, I. Roske, “Root stimulated nitrogen removal: only
a local effect or important for water treatment,” WST, vol.51, pp.185-
192, 2005.
[16] V. Gagnon, F. Chazarenc, Y. Comeau, J. Brisson, “Influence of
macrophyte species on microbial density and activity in constructed
wetlands,” WST.vol.56(3), pp.249–254, 2007.
[17] H. Brix, “Do macrophytes play a role in constructed treatment
wetlands?” WST. Vol. 35(5), pp.11–17, 1997.
[18] U. Stottmeister, A. Wießner, P. Kuschk, U. Kappelmeyer, M. Kastner,
O. Bederski, RA. Muller, H.Moormann, “Effects of plants and
microorganisms in constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment,”
Biotechnology Advances. Vol. 22(1), pp. 93– 117, 2003.
[19] K.Seidel, “Wirkung höherer Pflanzen auf pathogene Keime in
Gewassern” Naturwissenschaften vol.58, pp.150– 1, 1971.
[20] F. Rivera, A. Warren, E. Ramirez, O. Decamp, P. Bonilla, E. Gallegos,
A. Calderón, JT. Sánchez, “Removal of pathogens from wastewaters by
the root zone method (RZM),” WST. Vol.32, pp.211 –8, 1995.
[21] S. Rasool, S. Ali, TA. Mughal, “Antimicrobial and synergistic studies of
Ranunculus murricatus against some indigenous bacteria,” PJB. Vol.46
(1), pp.345-352, 2014.
[22] S. Nazir, K. Tahir, R. Naz, ZH. Khan, A. Khan, R. Islam, A. Rehman,
“In vitro screening of Ranunculus muricatusfor potential cytotoxic and
antimicrobial activities,” GJP. Vol.8 (3), pp.427-431, 2014.
[23] American Public Health Association (APHA) “Standard Methods for the
Examination of Water and Wastewater,” (20th edn.). Washington D.C.
1998.
[24] National Standards for Drinking water Quality (NSDWG) Government
of Pakistan, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.freshwateraction.net/sites/. 2008.
[25] S. Kouki, F. M’hiri, N. Saidi, Belaid, A. Hassen “Performances of a
constructed wetland treating domestic wastewaters during a macrophyte
life cycle,” Desalination. Vol.246, pp.452-467, 2009.
[26] J. Dickopp, M. Kazda, and H. Clžková, “Differences in rhizome aeration
of Phragmites australis in a constructed wetland,” Ecological
Enginering. Vol. 37, pp. 1647-1653, 2011.
[27] S. Vacca, “Bioretention Facilities and Constructed Wetlands Efficiency
and Use: A Review,” http://soils.ifas.ufl.edu/docs/pdf/academic/papers/
Vacca_Samuel.pdf 2011.
[28] JL. Faulwetter, V. Gagnon, C. Sundberg, F. Chazarenc, MD. Burr, J.
Brisson, AK. Camper, OR. Stein, “Microbial processes influencing
performance of treatment wetlands: a review,” Ecological Engineering.
Vol.35 (6), pp.987-1004, 2009.
[29] Suhendrayatna, Marwan, R. Andriani, Y. Fajriana, Elvitriana, “Removal
of municipal wastewater BOD, COD, and TSS by Phyto-Reduction: A
laboratory–scale comparison of aquatic plants at different species Typha
latifolia and Saccharum spontaneum,” IJEIT. Vol.2 (6), 2012.
[30] International Water Association (IWA) “Constructed Wetlands for
Pollution Control. IWA Special Group on Use of Macrophytes in Water
Pollution Control,” Science and Technology. Rep. 8. IWA Publication,
London, 2000.
[31] J. Vymazal, “Removal of BOD5 in constructed wetlands with horizontal
sub-surface flow: Czech experience,” Water Science and Technology.
Vol.40 (3), pp.133-138, 1999.
[32] SL. Whitmire, and SK. Hamilton,“Rapid removal of nitrate and sulfate
in freshwater wetland sediments,” JEQ. Vol.34, pp. 2062-2071, 2005.
[33] D. Fortin, R. Goulet, M. Roy “Seasonal cycling of Fe and S in a
constructed wetland: The role of sulfate-reducing bacteria,”
Geomicrobiology Journal. Vol.17, pp. 221-235, 2000.
[34] S. Hsu, J. Maynard “The use of sulfur isotopes to monitor the
effectiveness of constructed wetlands in controlling acid mine drainage,”
EEP. Vol.1, pp.223-233, 1999. [35] D. Borden, O. Stein, P. Hook, “Seasonal effects of supplemental organic
carbon on sulfate reduction and zinc sulfide precipitation in constructed
wetland microcosms,” In International Ecological Engineering Society
Meeting. Lincoln University, New Zealand. pp. 296-300, 2001.
[36] OR. Stein, PB. Hook, “Temperature, plants and oxygen: how does
season affect constructed wetland performance,” JESH. Part A: vol.40
(6–7), pp.1331–1342, 2005.
[37] WC. Allen, PB. Hook, OR. Stein, JR. Beiderman,“Temperature and
wetland plant species effects on wastewater treatment and root zone
oxidation,” JEQ. Vol.31, pp.1010-1016, 2002.
[38] FJ. Szogi, JM. Humenik, PG. Rice, Hunt, “Swine wastewater treatment
by Media Filtration” JESH. Vol. 832(5), pp.831-843, 1997.
[39] L. Bonomo, G. Pastorelli, N. Zambon, “Advantages and limitations of
duckweed-based wastewater treatment systems,” WST. Vol.35(5),
pp.236, 1997.
[40] K. Sakadevan, H. Bavor, “Phosphate adsorption characteristics of soils,
Slags and zeolite to be used as substrates in constructed wetland
systems,” Water Research. Vol.32(2), pp. 393-399, 1998.
[41] AS. Brooks, MN. Rozenwald, LD. Geohring, LW. Lion, TS. Steenhuis,
“Phosphorus removal by wollastonite: a constructed wetland substrate,”
Ecological Enginering. Vol.15, pp. 121-132,2000.
[42] B. Bostrom, M. Jansson, C. Forsberg, “Phosphorus release from lake
sediments”. Archiv für Hydrobiologie–Beiheft Ergebnisse der
Limnologie. vol. 18, pp. 5–59, 1982.
[43] A. Valipour, VK. Raman, VS. Ghole, “A new approach in wetland
systems for domestic wastewater treatment using Phragmites sp,”
Ecological Enginering. Vol.35, pp.1797–1803, 2009.
[44] E. Paul, F.Clark “Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry”. Elsevier. New
York. 1989.
[45] R. Hauck, “Atmospheric nitrogen chemistry, nitrification,
denitrification, and their relationships” Handbook of Environmental
Chemistry. Hutzinger, O. (ed). Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag. pp.
105-127, 1984.
[46] J.Vymazal, “Algae and element cycling in wetlands” Chelsea, Michigan,
USA: Lewis Publishers, 1995.
[47] M. Garcia, E. Becares “Bacterial removal in three pilot-scale wastewater
treatment systems for rural areas,” WST. Vol.35, pp. 197-200, 1997.