Water Purification from Ions of Cadmium (II) Using a Bio-Plateau

Abstract

The study was conducted with the purpose of experimentally developing the method of water purification from ions of cadmium (II) using a new design of a bio-plateau, which is based on the use of terrestrial plants. In order to construct the bio–plateau, the following chemically inert floating materials were used as the substrate: perlite, expanded clay, granular foam, vermiculite, cork, on top of which the seeds of higher terrestrial plants were placed. The experimental data showed that foam was the best of the tested substrates, and of plants – barley, oats, corn and rye. The constructed bio-plateau was placed into tanks with a solution of cadmium on the 9th day of incubation to study the cleaning efficiency of terrestrial plants on the aquatic environment. Determination of the residual concentration of cadmium was performed with the method of AAC at λ=228.8. As a result, it was found that rye showed the best sorption properties of the tested plants. The influence of additional aeration and pH of the medium on the degree of water purification was established. The highest treatment efficiency was observed in the variant of a bio-plateau with aeration and at a pH of 8–9. The study shows the possibility of using terrestrial plants for the phytoremediation of water bodies.