Post-Treatment of Reverse Osmosis Reject Through Vetiver Grass Phytoremediation
In 2021, the Chester County Solid Waste Authority (CCSWA) installed a three-stage reverse osmosis (RO) wastewater treatment plant to treat landfill leachate generated by the Lanchester Landfill. The plant can achieve between 80% to 85% water recovery by volume leaving a reject effluent solution that needs further treatment. CCSWA is exploring alternative technologies to treat reject solutions including phytoremediation. In this study, Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) was investigated for its potential use for arsenic and iron phytoremediation of RO reject and landfill leachate generated by the CCSWA. Vetiver grass plants were irrigated with 0% to 100% RO reject and landfill leachate, and the final shoot, root, and soil concentrations of arsenic and iron were analyzed. It was determined that arsenic tended to accumulate in the roots of Vetiver with minor accumulation in the shoots. The arsenic translocation factor range achieved in this study ranged from 0.316 to 0.834 (ppm/ppm) for roots to shoots of Vetiver grass. Additionally, it was determined that iron tended to accumulate mainly in the roots of the plant, with minimal shoot accumulation supported by a translocation factor range of 0.017 to 0.178 (ppm/ppm) for roots to shoots. The low shoot accumulation makes removal through shoots not feasible. Furthermore, Vetiver grass would not tolerate RO concentrate or landfill leachate, with only 33% of the plants surviving the treatment. A recovery period for plant regeneration may be needed to use Vetiver for phytoremediation. Overall, this study concludes that Vetiver may not be the best candidate for phytoremediation of arsenic and iron.
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| Work Title | Post-Treatment of Reverse Osmosis Reject Through Vetiver Grass Phytoremediation |
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| License | In Copyright (Rights Reserved) |
| Work Type | Research Paper |
| Publication Date | May 2022 |
| Deposited | April 29, 2022 |
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