The use of plants for phytofiltration is one of the promising trends in environmental biotechnology to purify wastewater. Aquatic moss biomasses, due to the ability of the gametophyte to absorb pollutants through the whole of its surface, can act as live filtering material, in addition they represent a natural scaffold for detoxifying bacterial. In this study, in the frame of the project fish RISE (PON 2014/20 ARS01_01053), the changing in the amount of nitrogenous compounds such as nitrites, ammonium ions and urea by two species of moss, Taxiphyllum barbieri and Leptodictyum riparium, was tested, both in sterile and non-sterile conditions, over a period of 287 hours. The possibility to observe a different behavior and, as a consequence, different phytofiltration efficiency was investigated. From the results obtained it is possible to confirm the ability of the mosses to change the concentration of the nitrogenous compounds tested. These decrease in time. The use of Nitrogen compounds related to different metabolic steps allow to discuss in more detail the action of the two compared species. The nature of pollutants was selected having in mind the needs of aquaponic biofiltration, but the applicability is wide. This highlights how these mosses are particularly suitable as an adaptable biofilter, representing a new opportunity for the eco- sustainable reclamation of water.
Filtration activity of nitrogenous compounds by different species of aquatic mosses
Letizia F.;Del Piano I.;Anglana C.;Barozzi F.;Esposito F.;Calcagnile M.;Alifano P.;Di Sansebastiano G. P.
2023-01-01
Abstract
The use of plants for phytofiltration is one of the promising trends in environmental biotechnology to purify wastewater. Aquatic moss biomasses, due to the ability of the gametophyte to absorb pollutants through the whole of its surface, can act as live filtering material, in addition they represent a natural scaffold for detoxifying bacterial. In this study, in the frame of the project fish RISE (PON 2014/20 ARS01_01053), the changing in the amount of nitrogenous compounds such as nitrites, ammonium ions and urea by two species of moss, Taxiphyllum barbieri and Leptodictyum riparium, was tested, both in sterile and non-sterile conditions, over a period of 287 hours. The possibility to observe a different behavior and, as a consequence, different phytofiltration efficiency was investigated. From the results obtained it is possible to confirm the ability of the mosses to change the concentration of the nitrogenous compounds tested. These decrease in time. The use of Nitrogen compounds related to different metabolic steps allow to discuss in more detail the action of the two compared species. The nature of pollutants was selected having in mind the needs of aquaponic biofiltration, but the applicability is wide. This highlights how these mosses are particularly suitable as an adaptable biofilter, representing a new opportunity for the eco- sustainable reclamation of water.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
