. Energy News .




FARM NEWS
Papyrus plant detox for slaughterhouses
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 04, 2013


The researchers tested Cyperus papyrus, the papyrus sedge, Typha domingensis, a type of bulrush or cattail found throughout temperate parts of the world and mangrove ecosystems in particular, Miscanthidium violaceum, a sub-tropical grass, and Phragmites mauritianus, a common reed species.

Humans have used the papyrus sedge for millennia. The Ancient Egyptians wrote on it, it can be made into highly buoyant boats, it is grown for ornamentation and parts can even be eaten. Now, writing in the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, researchers in Uganda have demonstrated that growing papyrus can be used to soak up toxins and other noxious residues from abattoir effluent.

Robinson Odong, Frank Kansiime, John Omara and Joseph Kyambadde of Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, investigated a range of macrophyte plants grown in so-called experimental mesocosms to see which if any might be able to clean up waste water from slaughterhouses. They hoped the plants would absorb toxic matter from the effluent through their roots as they grow, leading to safe, biologically filtered water.

They point out that abattoir effluent is a major source of pollution entering Lake Victoria. The effluent originates from two slaughterhouses located along the Nakivubo channel in Kampala discharging 700,000 liters (almost 200,000 gallons) per day of untreated effluent into the channel, which drains into Lake Victoria at Inner Murchison Bay via the Nakivubo wetlands.

The wetlands do not have the ability to reduce the highly toxic COD (chemical oxygen demand) value 7 to 16 grams per liter) of the water to make it non-polluting to the waterways and Lake Victoria.

The researchers tested Cyperus papyrus, the papyrus sedge, Typha domingensis, a type of bulrush or cattail found throughout temperate parts of the world and mangrove ecosystems in particular, Miscanthidium violaceum, a sub-tropical grass, and Phragmites mauritianus, a common reed species.

None of the unplanted mesocosms used as control experiments had any effect on water quality whereas papyrus was able to remove nitrogen and phosphorus ions as well as residues of organic matter present in the waste water. Papyrus was able to absorb almost 4 grams of phosphorus per kilogram of dry weight from the waste water.

It increased its mass to 31.0 kilograms of dry weight per square meter through absorption of nutrients from the water through its vast root network, which has a surface area of well over 200 square feet (more than 200,000 square centimeters) in an area of growing papyrus covering just one square foot (about 1000 centimeter square).

These promising results suggest that an inexpensive and ecologically sound way to treat slaughterhouse wastewaters can be found in which constructed wetlands growing an abundance of papyrus sedge as a final treatment step could greatly reduce the amount of untreated effluent reaching Lake Victoria.

"The Government of Uganda and relevant agencies such as the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) should encourage proprietors of agrobased industries to take advantage of the potential of C. papyrus in the treatment of their wastewaters," the team concludes.

"The potential of four tropical wetland plants for the treatment of abattoir effluent" in Int. J. Environmental Technology and Management, 2013, 16, 203-222

.


Related Links
Inderscience Publishers
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

Get Our Free Newsletters
Space - Defense - Environment - Energy - Solar - Nuclear

...





FARM NEWS
Hanoi bans China poultry after new bird flu strain deaths
Hanoi (AFP) April 3, 2013
Vietnam has announced an immediate ban on all Chinese poultry imports and stepped up border controls after its northern neighbour reported two deaths from a new strain of bird flu. There have been seven human infections - two fatal - in China from the virulent disease, according to local authorities, the first time the H7N9 strain of avian influenza is known to have been transmitted to hum ... read more


FARM NEWS
China to launch high-res Earth-observation satellite

How hard is it to 'de-anonymize' cellphone data?

Wearable system can map difficult areas

A Closer Look at LDCM's First Scene

FARM NEWS
China preps civilian use of GPS system

GPS device could stem bike thefts

Apple patent shows pen with GPS, phone

Ground system improves satellite navigation precision

FARM NEWS
Researchers question evaluation methods for protected areas in the Amazon

Decreased Water Flow May be Trade-off for More Productive Forest

Middle ground between unlogged forest and intensively managed lands

Hunting for meat impacts on rainforest

FARM NEWS
Renewable Energy Group Selects FuelQuest Zytax Determination to Automate Energy Tax Processing

Researchers Engineer Plant Cell Walls to Boost Sugar Yields for Biofuels

Regulation recommendations so that biofuel plants don't become weeds

Making fuel from CO2 in the atmosphere

FARM NEWS
SunEdison ROC Celebrates 1GW of Solar Energy Under Management

Walgreens Extends its Renewable Energy Commitment to 22 Stores in Colorado

Iris Technology Awarded Order from US Marine Corps for Portable Solar Power

Panasonic Solar PV Parking Lot Canopy Delivers

FARM NEWS
Wind skeptic British minister replaced

Using fluctuating wind power

France publishes 1GW offshore wind tenders

Davey lauds, warns Scotland on renewables

FARM NEWS
Outside View: Coal exports save lives

China mine blast kills 28: state media

Six dead, 11 missing, in new blast at China mine

China mine accident kills 21: state media

FARM NEWS
Chinese activist Chen meets Bush, urges pressure

Tibetan envoy says China can end immolations

China firm says first lady's style not for sale

China 'two-child policy' town shows scope for reform




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2012 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement