Bioaugmentation of floating treatment wetlands for the remediation of textile effluent

This pilot study evaluated the effects of bacterial augmentation on the efficiency of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) to remediate textile wastewater. Two wetland plants, Phragmites australis and Typha domingensis, were used to develop FTWs, which were then augmented with a bacterial consortium of three strains (Acinetobacter junii, Pseudomonas indoloxydans, and Rhodococcus sp.). Results showed that both plant species removed colour, organic matter, toxicity, and heavy metals from textile wastewater and their removal efficiency was further enhanced by augmentation with bacteria. The maximum removal efficiencies of colour, COD and BOD after an 8-day period were 97, 87 and 92%, respectively, by FTWs carrying P. australis inoculated with the bacterial consortium. Furthermore, the same combination showed 87-99% reduction of heavy metals in the textile wastewater as well. These results indicate that FTWs can be used for the treatment of textile effluent and their working efficiency can be improved by plant-bacterial synergism.