Phytoremediation of Ammonia, BOD, COD, and TSS with Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) for Wastewater
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Keywords:
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Domestic Wastewater, Water Hycinth, Phytoremediation, Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant
Abstract
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a typical aquatic plant with several physical characteristics such as the leaves of water hyacinth are glossy and ovoid to circular in shape, with spongy petioles that provide buoyancy. The plant is widely known for its rapid proliferation, with its population being able to double in just 12 days. The Pulo Gebang Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant (STP) is a facility that treats sewage from people’s homes or centralized treatment plants. However, the treated water often does not meet quality standards. To solve this problem, a sustainable and environmentally friendly wastewater treatment method called phytoremediation was chosen. Phytoremediation involves the use of plants to remove pollutants from wastewater, offering cost efficiency, minimum energy requirements, and conservation of soil biological activity. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was chosen for its quality and ability to degrade penetrant substances. Phytoremediation was carried out in batch form with 3 variations of testing time, namely 5, 10 and 15 days. The study found that phytoremediation using water hyacinth significantly reduced ammonia levels, BOD, COD, and TSS parameters, with the most effective contact time being 10 days. This shows that the phytoremediation method using water hyacinth is effective in reducing contaminant levels and can be a sustainable solution for treating domestic wastewater at IPLT Pulo Gebang.
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Sharma, B., S. Ram, and S. Vyas (2025). Characterization of Yamuna River Water Quality and Its Remediation by Phytoremediation Technique. South African Journal of Chemical Engineering, 53; 49–59.
Sharma, R., M. Chandel, A. Delebarre, and B. Alappat (2011). 200-MW Chemical Looping Combustion Based Thermal Power Plant for Clean Power Generation. International Journal of Energy Research, 37(1); 49–58.
Singh, S., R. A. A. Meena, and V. Kumar (2025). Microbial-Assisted Phytoremediation of Industrial Wastewater: Efficiency Evaluation and Performance Enhancement Using Biofilm Formation. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(5); 110234.
Taabodi, M., F. M. Hashem, T. P. Oscar, S. Parveen, and E. B. May (2019). The Possible Roles of Escherichia coli in the Nitrogen Cycle. International Journal of Environmental Research, 13; 597–602.
Zhang, Y., H. Li, and J. Zhou (2024). Integrating Phytoremediation in Urban Wastewater Management: A Global Review. Environmental Pollution, 333; 122687.
Al-Dulaimi, Z. A., S. Y. Jasim, and A. H. Salman (2023). Statistical Evaluation of Phytoremediation Using Aquatic Macrophytes. Journal of Environmental Management, 334; 117591.
Alam, M. J., B. C. Das, M. W. Rahman, B. K. Biswas, and M. M. R. Khan (2015). Removal of Dark Blue GL from Wastewater Using Water Hyacinth: A Study of Equilibrium Adsorption Isotherm. Desalination and Water Treatment, 56(5); 1520–1525.
Anastasi, E. M., B. Matthew, H. M. Stratton, and M. Katouli (2012). Pathogenic Escherichia coli Found in Sewage Treatment Plants and Environmental Waters. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 78; 5536–5541.
Ardiatma, D., N. I. Ilyas, and N. U. Sara (2023a). Efektivitas Metode Fitoremediasi Dengan Tanaman Kayu Apu (Pistia stratiotes L.) Terhadap Penurunan Kadar BOD Dalam Limbah Domestik Di Jakarta. Jurnal Sains dan Teknologi Lingkungan, 15(2); 121–133. (In Indonesia)
Ardiatma, D., N. I. Ilyas, and N. U. Sara (2023b). Effectiveness of Phytoremediation Using Pistia stratiotes in Reducing BOD Levels. Jurnal Sains dan Teknologi Lingkungan, 15(2); 121–133.
Chanathaworn, J. (2017). Operating Condition Optimization of Water Hyacinth and Earthworm Bedding Wastewater for Biogas Production. Energy Procedia, 138; 253–259.
Chen, H., J. Wu, and S. Yang (2024). Enhancing Ammonia Removal Through Plant–Microbe Interaction in Phytoremediation Systems. Water Research, 254; 121443.
Escamilla-Rodríguez, A., S. Carlos-Hernández, and L. Díaz Jiménez (2021). Resistance of Heavy Metals from Bacteria in Natural Waters of a Mining Area. Water, 13(19); 2766.
Fahruddin, F., M. F. Samawi, M. Tuwo, and R. E. Tanjung (2021). The Effect of Heavy Metal Lead (Pb) on the Growth of Ammonia-Degrading Bacteria and Physical Changes of Eichhornia crassipes in Groundwater Phytoremediation. International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology, 11(3); 994–1000.
Hossain, M. S., M. A. Rahman, and T. Ahmed (2024). Performance of Aquatic Plants in Greywater Treatment Systems. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 33; 103237.
Irawati, W., R. Pinontoan, and T. Yuwono (2020). Indigenous Copper-Resistant Bacteria Isolated from Activated Sludge of Water Treatment Plant in Surabaya, Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Environmental Technology, 12(4); 255–264.
Kasmuri, N., S. A. A. Malik, Z. Yaacob, M. F. Miskon, N. H. Ramli, and N. Zaini (2023). Application of Water Hyacinth in Phytoremediation of Wastewater. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, volume 1135, page 012008.
Kulkarni, P., N. D. Olson, J. N. Paulson, M. Pop, C. Maddox, E. Claye, R. E. R. Goldstein, M. Sharma, S. G. Gibbs, E. F. Mongodin, et al. (2018). Conventional Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Site Practices Modify Bacterial Community Structure but Do Not Eliminate Some Opportunistic Pathogens in Reclaimed Water. Science of the Total Environment, 639; 1126–1137.
Mishra, R., P. Singh, and R. Kumar (2024). Comparative Assessment of Macrophytes for Wastewater Treatment. Ecological Engineering, 201; 107438.
Mohan, S., P. Reddy, and S. Kumar (2023). Sustainable Domestic Wastewater Management Using Floating Macrophytes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 422; 139991.
Nayar, R. and R. Patel (2021). Rural Water Quality Monitoring and Exploring Low-Cost Treatment Technology With Water Hyacinth. Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 5(1); 9–12.
Nguyen, T. H. and P. T. Le (2023). Domestic Wastewater Treatment Using Eichhornia crassipes: A Review of Tropical Applications. Environmental Challenges, 11; 100761.
Noerhayati, E., B. Suprapto, A. Rahmawati, and S. N. Mustika (2023). Improving Wastewater Quality System Using the Internet of Things-Based Phytoremediation Method. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 24(3); 254–262.
Ojoawo, S. O., G. Udayakumar, and P. Naik (2015). Phytoremediation of Phosphorus and Nitrogen With Canna x Generalis Reeds in Domestic Wastewater Through NMAMIT Constructed Wetland. Aquatic Procedia, 4; 349–356.
Powley, H., H. Dürr, A. Lima, M. Krom, and P. Cappellen (2016). Direct Discharges of Domestic Wastewater Are a Major Source of Phosphorus and Nitrogen to the Mediterranean Sea. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(16); 8722–8730.
Prasad, R., D. Sharma, K. D. Yadav, and H. Ibrahim (2021). Preliminary Study on Greywater Treatment Using Water Hyacinth. Applied Water Science, 11(6); 1–8.
Rahman, F., S. Syafrudin, and E. Yuliani (2022). Evaluation of Sludge Management Practices in Indonesian Urban Areas. Jurnal Teknik Lingkungan, 28(2); 98–108.
Rahmawati, A. (2022). Perencanaan Sistem Lahan Basah Buatan Dalam Pengolahan Limbah Cair Domestik Menggunakan Tanaman Cyperus papyrus. Envirotek: Jurnal Ilmiah Teknik Lingkungan, 14(2); 164–168. (In Indonesia)
Rochman, A. (2019). Evaluasi Implementasi Kebijakan Pengendalian Pencemaran Air Dalam Rangka Penerapan Green Industry Pada Industri Otomotif (Studi Pada PT. Kramayudha Ratu Motor). Master’s thesis, Universitas Negeri Jakarta. (In Indonesia)
Sharma, B., S. Ram, and S. Vyas (2025). Characterization of Yamuna River Water Quality and Its Remediation by Phytoremediation Technique. South African Journal of Chemical Engineering, 53; 49–59.
Sharma, R., M. Chandel, A. Delebarre, and B. Alappat (2011). 200-MW Chemical Looping Combustion Based Thermal Power Plant for Clean Power Generation. International Journal of Energy Research, 37(1); 49–58.
Singh, S., R. A. A. Meena, and V. Kumar (2025). Microbial-Assisted Phytoremediation of Industrial Wastewater: Efficiency Evaluation and Performance Enhancement Using Biofilm Formation. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(5); 110234.
Taabodi, M., F. M. Hashem, T. P. Oscar, S. Parveen, and E. B. May (2019). The Possible Roles of Escherichia coli in the Nitrogen Cycle. International Journal of Environmental Research, 13; 597–602.
Zhang, Y., H. Li, and J. Zhou (2024). Integrating Phytoremediation in Urban Wastewater Management: A Global Review. Environmental Pollution, 333; 122687.
Authors
Prinajati, . P. D., Hanaseta, E., & Sasongko, B. (2025). Phytoremediation of Ammonia, BOD, COD, and TSS with Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) for Wastewater. Indonesian Journal of Environmental Management and Sustainability, 9(4), 214-222. https://doi.org/10.26554/ijems.2025.9.4.214-222
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