Application of Trapa bipinosa for the treatment of pulp and paper industry effluent.

The ability of aquatic plants to absorb, translocate and concentrate metals has led to the development of various plant-based treatment systems. The potential to accumulate metals like iron, nickel, manganese and copper by Trapa bipinosa was assessed by subjecting them to different effluent concentrations of pulp and paper industry under laboratory conditions. Trapa showed the ability to accumulate substantial amounts of the metals during a short span of one week. When the plants were grown in different concentrations they caused significant reduction in various parameters like dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total alkalinity, total hardness, chloride and sulphate. While there was an increase in biomass, no visible phytotoxic symptoms were shown by treated plants.