Effectiveness of using constructed wetland to remove nanoparticles

• Main Author: Lee, Yean Yang.
• Other Authors: Tan Soon Keat
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/53884
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This project was conducted to identify the uptake rate of nanoparticles by plant used in conventional constructed wetland in the tropical climate namely Scirpus. validus. Past researches and literatures have shown that with the increased use in nanomaterials from the various industries, nanoparticles have been understood to be release into the environment and particularly being present in the wastewater stream. The toxicity of nanoparticles to man and the environment has also been highlighted in several literatures. Therefore in this study, we will be studying the uptake rate of nanoparticles by the plants in the roots and shoots respectively to determine the effectiveness of uptake in the both regions. The experiment was conducted over a period of 21 days with samples being immersed in Zn2+ ions and ZnO nanoparticles solution. Plants samples were extracted at different time period throughout the 21 days to determine uptake rate in the different region as well as phototoxicity effect that nanoparticles have on the plants. Findings have indicated that nanoparticles are indeed uptake by the plants at levels ranging from 402 to 36,513 µg g-1 (fresh weight) in the roots and 6.4 to 110.4µg g-1 (fresh weight) in the shoots. Bioaccumulation factor (BAFs) for ZnO nanoparticles in the shoots (0.02 – 2.72) were much lower than that in the roots (20.96 – 84.13) demonstrated that nanoparticles translocated within the plant with root uptake.