Macrophytes' Performance in Floating Treatment Wetlands for the Remediation of Ciprofloxacin-Contaminated Water

The presence of trace antibiotics in domestic and industrial effluents poses a risk of toxicity to fauna and flora. The application of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) is a low-cost and sustainable approach to remediate wastewater. In this study, the performance of different macrophytes vegetated in FTWs for the remediation of ciprofloxacin (CIP)-contaminated water is investigated. Six macrophytes, Brachia mutica, Typha domingensis, Phragmites australis, Canna indica, Cyperus laevigatus, and Leptochloa fusca, are vegetated in FTWs for the removal of CIP (50 mg L-1) from water. The FTWs show the potential to remove 30-43.58 mg L-1 CIP from water in 28 days. They also reduce the chemical oxygen demand (118-138 mg L-1) and biochemical oxygen demand (35-45 mg L-1) of water. Among the macrophytes, C. indica removes maximum (43.58 mg L-1) and T. domingensis minimum (30 mg L-1) CIP. Canna indica and T. domingensis exhibit the maximum and minimum increase (30% and 12% of dry biomass) in growth, respectively. This study reveals that the FTWs vegetated with different plant species exhibit varying performances in removing CIP from water. This investigation is a step forward toward sustainable bioremediation of water contaminated with antibiotics.

Automated summary

The performance of different macrophytes in floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) for the remediation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) contaminated water is investigated in this study. The FTWs have the potential to remove 30-43.58 mg L-1 CIP from water in 28 days, and also reduce the chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand of water. Among the macrophytes, Canna indica is the most effective in removing CIP, while Typha domingensis is the least effective. This study contributes to the sustainable bioremediation of water contaminated with antibiotics.