The Phytodegradation Effect of Pincushion Moss(Leucobryum glaucum) in a Source of Wastewater

Abstract

Nowadays, human activities are mostly dependent with water sources where people tend to neglect its value and cause the changes in physical, chemical, and biological properties of water which can make residents ill and damage the environment. It is known that much of the water supply ends up as wastewater which makes its treatment very important. An effective way in removing contaminants in wastewater is through phytodegradation, the breaking down of contaminants taken up by plants through metabolic processes and turning the absorbed pollutants into food. L. glaucum, from the family of Bryophyta has a physical structure that has been found to absorb metals. It is used as an effective filtering and adsorption agent for the COD and BOD treatment of wastewater. This study was conducted to perform the phytodegradation process using L. glaucum in lessening the COD and BOD of a wastewater source. Parallel –Group Design was used in the study to compare the two sample groups. In this design, the experimental groups are the wastewater that underwent phytodegradation using 75 grams, 95 grams, 115 grams, and 135 grams of L. glaucum. The control group was the wastewater that did not receive any form of ministration. The researcher compared the groups by means of comparing its water quality. This study used only one process-phytodegradation. The effectiveness of the process was manifested on the result of the water quality test after a month of incubation. T-test was used in testing the significance between the pre-testand post-test of BOD having 35 mg/L, decreasing up to 7 mg/L, and COD having 72 ppm depleting up to 21 mg/L. Salient findings from the COD, BOD and Water Quality tests such as TSS, TDS, Conductivity, pH & Salinity revealed that L. glaucum is effective in phytodegradating wastewater. The wastewater with the lowest chemical and biological oxygen demand was the one that underwent phytodegradation using the most number of L. glaucum. It was proven that L. glaucum can decrease the COD and BOD of wastewater. Absorption of pollutants with the phytodegradating ability of L. glaucum is a new efficient, environmental-friendly and cost-effective alternative method in reducing contaminants on wastewater. Escalating pollution on local canals and rivers should be stopped with the use of L. glaucum because plants and fishes harvested from such contaminated waters contain significant levels of the heavy metals that can impair human health.