PHYTOREMEDIATION OF FERTILIZER FACTORY WASTEWATER BY KENAF (Hibiscus Cannabinus) IN COMPARE WITH REED (Phragmites Australis)

Urea fertilizer factory effluents contain high load of nitrogen (N) pollutants which need advanced technologies to be reduced to desirable levels. However, the advanced added technologies are hugely expensive due to the complex processes and cost of chemicals and maintenance. Phytoremediation technique, the engineered use of plants, has been recently considered for N removal from various wastewaters. However, the common phytoremediation plants (reeds and grasses) are not able to remove N effectively due to the recyclable nature of N through decomposition processes. In addition, they require periodic harvestings which impose high cost on system. Kenaf plants, as a tropical fiber plant, has high transpiration capacity which not only compensate the cost of harvest but also their fiber is industrially important. In this study, the growth and phytoremediation potential of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) to treat the urea fertilizer factory wastewater was evaluated. Eight month old kenaf seedlings received 4 different concentrations of N (T1: wastewater alone; T2: T1+50 mgL-1 NH4NO3; T3: T1+100 mgL-1 NH4NO3; T4: T1+150 mgL-1 NH4NO3) in bench-scale constructed wetlands every 4 days for 8 weeks. The solution volumes supplied to each container and plant biomass, N recovery, and tissue nutrient concentration measured. Kenaf plants size was increased with increasing the amount of supplied N. Kenaf seedling showed a considerable potential N recovery up to 73% when they were totally supplied with 1-3 g N compared to reed which able to recover up to 61.73%.