Recent studies on applications of aquatic weed plants in phytoremediation of wastewater: A review article

Abstract

Clean water is an inevitable necessity in human life apart from food and shelter. Surface and underground water are the major sources of clean water. However, with the rapid growth in population and increasing industrial development in Malaysia, many water sources have become polluted. Hence, wastewater must be adequately treated prior to discharge into the environment. Currently, conventional treatment methods are not always effective towards complete removal of water contaminants. Phytoremediation technique is a branch of bioremediation that employs the application of plants for the remediation of wastewater. Aquatic plants have the capacity to absorb excess contaminants such as organic and inorganic, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical pollutants present in agricultural, domestic and industrial wastewater. Among the aquatic plants, Salvinia molesta and Pistia stratiotes have been widely used for the treatment of agricultural, domestic and industrial wastewater. The wide application of these plants is due to their availability, resilience in a toxic environment, bioaccumulation potentials, invasive mechanism and biomass potentials. This review paper covers the major roles and potentials of aquatic plants in phytoremediation of wastewater. It has also reviewed recent research work on the efficiency of Salvinia molesta and Pistia stratiotes plants in wastewater remediation and identified areas for further studies as we find stoichiometric homeostatic index and resource pulse effects studies of these plants is necessary in wastewater phytoremediation processes.