Treatment of leachate solid wastewater and protein-rich biomass production using Ceratophyllum demersum (Linnaeus, 1753)

The present study, conducted in 2018, aimed to treat landfill leachate using the Ceratophyllum demersum plant and convert the wastewater nutrients into protein-rich biomass. The experiment was carried out for 45 days in an enriched medium with ½ Hoagland nutrient solution. Regarding the experimental setups, C. demersum cultivation was performed in four different dilution ratios (100%, 75%, 50%, and 25%) in the landfill leachate. The changes in the chemical properties of the wastewater (pH, NO₄⁻-N, NO₂⁻-N, NO₃⁻-N, and o-PO₄³⁻) were measured. The values in the leachate and after treatment were measured as follows: NH₄⁺-N ranged from 18.03 to 476.2 mg/L, NO₃⁻-N ranged from 5.0 to 33.98 mg/L, NO₂⁻-N ranged from 1.49 to 7.06 mg/L, and PO₄³⁻-P ranged from 27.99 to 145.4 mg/L. The protein yield (CP prot) in the experimental groups at the end of the 45-day study was as follows: T1 = 20.90%, T2 = 36.68 %, T3 = 41.78%, T4 = 47.43% and T5c = 49.56%. These results demonstrate that aquatic plants can be utilized in wastewater treatment and as animal feed due to their high protein yield. In my research, a completely nature-friendly treatment technique was used to reduce water pollution without using any chemicals.