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Assessment of the Irrigation Feasibility of Low-cost Filtered Municipal Wastewater for Red Amaranth (amaranthus Tricolor L Cv. Surma)

Gokul Chandra Biswas
Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Animesh Sarkarb
Department of Food Engineering and Tea Technology, School of Applied Sciences and Technology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Md H. Rashid
Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama 338-8570, Japan

Monirul Hassan Shohan
Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Mirajul Islam
Department of Statistics, School of Physical Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Qingyue Wang
Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama 338-8570, Japan

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

In the present experiment, the feasibility of using low-cost filtered municipal wastewater in the irrigation of red amaranth cultivation was assessed. The collected municipal wastewater from fish markets, hospitals, clinics, sewage, and kitchens of households in Sylhet City, Bangladesh were mixed and filtered with nylon mesh. Six filtration methods were applied. Among the six filtration treatments, T₅ showed the highest seed germination (67.14%), similar to the control T₀ (77.14%). The healthy plants/pot ratio (93.62%) was significantly higher for T₅, even higher than the control (85.19%). Additionally, the average plant height for T₅ (8.097 in.) was statistically identical to the control (8.633 in.). The average number of leaves for T₅ (10) was near to the control. Finally, the minimum amount of heavy metals accumulated in the plants of T₅, whereas the maximum accumulation rate varied among treatments. The accumulated levels of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn were within the safe limit; however, the concentrations of Pb and As exceeded their safe limits. The results showed that the low-cost filtration method potentially allows municipal wastewater to be used in irrigation for agricultural production.

Keywords: Heavy metals; Irrigation feasibility; Low cost filtration; Municipal wastewater; Red amaranth

Location: Fish market, hospitals, clinics, sewerage and kitchens of Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Performance

Objectives:

This experiment was designed mainly using the low cost filtration of municipal wastewater to analyze the effects on seed germination, growth parameters and heavy metal uptake of red amaranth.

Methodology:

Wastewater collection and processing:The municipal wastewater samples were collected in properly labeled plastic bottles from the effluents of different sites: a fish market, hospitals, clinics, sewerage and kitchens of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Samples were collected from the upper 2–4 cm of effluents to minimize hazards. The collected samples were preserved in plastic bottles in the laboratory at control temperatures of 20±2°C without any chemical treatment.

Low cost filtration of municipal wastewater: Six different filtration techniques that varied the low-cost filtering materials were designed to filter the working samples. These methods employed consecutive applications of materials: sand (T₁); sand and wood charcoal (T₂); sand, wood charcoal and rice husks (T₃); sand, wood charcoal, rice husks and sawdust (T₄); sand, wood charcoal, rice husks, sawdust and brick chips (T₅); and sand, wood charcoal, rice husks, sawdust, brick chips and gravel (T₆). The water from ponds and rivers was considered as the control treatment.

Determination of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solid (TDS) and heavy metals in the wastewater: The pH values of the wastewater samples were measured by taking 50 mL of sample water in a 100 mL beaker and immersing the electrode of the digital pH meter into the sample. The EC of the municipal wastewater samples was measured by taking a 100 mL water sample in a 500 mL beaker. The conductivity cell was rinsed with distilled water and then placed into the wastewater sample. The sample temperature was adjusted to 25°C. The electrical conductivity was calculated using a conductivity meter (Model WPA CM 35). To determine the TDS, 100 mL of sample was taken and filtered through double-layered filter paper, and the filtrate was collected in a dry glass beaker. The TDS was then measured using a TDS meter. The concentrations of heavy metals such as Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, As and Pb in wastewater samples were analyzed on a UV-light and atomic absorption spectrophotometer using the method described in the standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. Each analysis was performed in triplicate.

Pot preparation and growing of red amaranth:Different fertilizers, such as urea, TSP, MOP and cow dung, were applied at the time of pot (2000 cm and a 1-L volume) preparation with loamy soil (500 g/pot) and during other practices according to the fertilizer recommendation guide-2005 of Bangladesh (BARC, 2005). Low-cost filtered wastewater (75 mL) was regularly applied in each pot. The seed germination test was performed on the identical pots in which plants would be maintained to observe their growth and yield parameters. Collected seeds were washed and soaked for 24 h and mixed with sand for broadcasting over the soil of each pot. In total, 70 seeds were broadcasted per pot. The plant height was also measured on a weekly basis. Throughout the growing period, the days to germination of the seed, the percentage of seed germination, the healthy plant/pot ratio, the number of leaf/plant, and the plant growth were calculated.

Statistical analysis: All data are presented as the mean±SD (n=3). The effects of the low cost filtration on the percent germination, the healthy plants per pot, the number of leaves/plant, the average plant height and the heavy metal concentrations (Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe, As and Pb) in the water and plants were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post-hoc test at a 0.05 significant level. Correlations between parameters were judged by Pearson's correlation coefficient at the 0.05 significant level. All statistical analysis were performed using SPSS for Windows.

Source of Information: International Soil and Water Conservation Research, Volume 3, Issue 4, Pages 253-328 (December 2015)

Article Link (Online Journal): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095633915300757

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The performance on seed germination and the overall plant growth (red amaranth) using the control water was not significantly different than the filtered wastewater. The chemical properties, the pH, EC and TDS, of the filtered wastewater were generally at a satisfactory level. The nutrient concentrations and heavy metals in the treated wastewater appeared to be under the critical limits. The simple filtration method was able to reduce the amount of heavy metals, displaying the irrigation feasibility of low-cost filtered municipal wastewater. Excessive contents of heavy metals in the crops irrigated with municipal wastewater were not noted. A noticeable amount of heavy metal were accumulated in the red amaranth plant during the maximum growth stage (up to the third week) after the regular irrigation with low-cost filtered municipal wastewater. The level of heavy metals Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn were found within the safe limit; however, Pb and As exceeded their limits. T₅ is an effective low-cost filtration method for municipal wastewater for irrigation because it positively influenced the growth parameters, reduced the heavy metal contents and accumulated in red amaranth, except for As and Pb.

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