Phytoremediation of Dairy Effluent by Constructed Wetland Technology Using Wetland Macrophytes

One of the burning problems of our industrial society is the high consumption of water and the high demand for clean drinking water. Numerous approaches have been taken to reduce water consumption, but in the long run it seems only possible to recycle wastewater into high quality water. In this study, an attempt was made to compare the efficiency of aquatic macrophytes like Typha sp., Eichhornia sp., Salvinia sp. and Pistia sp. to treat the effluents from dairy factory in constructed wetlands. The biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand turbidity, nutrients and total solids of dairy effluent was reduced significantly (p<0.01)after treatment. The Typha based treatment system was the most efficient in removing the pollutants from the effluent. So in conclusion, emergent species were more efficient than the floating macrophytes in constructed wetland technology.