Facilitated decrease of anions and cations in influent and effluent of sewage treatment plant by vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides): the uptake of nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and phosphate.

The ability of vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.) for the reduction of anions and cations especially inorganic nitrogen compounds from the influent and effluent of sewages was investigated. Vetiver grass was grown hydroponically in influent (IN) and four different effluent (EF) sewages including control, 125 (EF125), 250 (EF250), and 500 (EF500) mg L-1 Ca(NO3)2. During 18 days, phosphate concentration gradually declined in both influent and all effluent treatments. Unlike effluent treatments, the amount of ammonium in influent was greater than the standard (39.52 mg L-1) and decreased severely down to 4.85 mg L-1 at the end of the experiment. After just 48 h, the concentration of nitrate in EF treatment reached 2.25 mg L-1 that is lower than the standard. The decrease of nitrate to concentrations less than the standard was also observed at days 8, 11, and 18 in EF125, EF250, and EF500 treatments, respectively, and about 90% of nitrate had been removed from 500 mg L-1 Ca(NO3)2 treatment. Other ions such as Cl-, Ca2+, and K+ decreased in influent and all effluent sewages due to phytoremediation process. Accordingly, phytoremediation by vetiver grass could decrease concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, chloride, and calcium in influent and all effluent sewages. Increasing the concentration of nitrate resulted in the increase in its uptake rate. In addition, a positive correlation was shown between the uptake rate of nitrate by vetiver grass and the duration of cultivation of this plant in nitrate-containing medium.