INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON WETLANDS AND SUSTAINABILITY 2007

REMOVAL ORGANIC COMPOUND OF DOMESTIC WASTEWATERS

CONTAINING HEAVY METALS USING MENDONG, FIMBRYSTILIS
GLOBULOSA

Barti Setiani Muntalif, Idris Maxdoni Kamil

Mayrina Firdayati, Miranda Delani
Department of Environmental Engineering
Institut Teknologi Bandung
Indonesia
barti_setiani@yahoo.com
Abstract

Contructed wetlands have been used in a number applications for the treatment of
wastewaters with diverse characteristics. Wetland construction is a relatively simple,
low cost technology that has been proven effective in amelioring the problem of
wastewater pollution both in laboratory study and in field applications. Some
characteristic of domestic waste like organic compound and heavy metals as water
pollution parameters become major environmental problem This study describes the
phytoremediation potential of Mendong, Fimbrystilis globulosa, for the removal some
domestic waste parameters such as COD, Ammonium (NH4), copper (Cu) and
chromium (Cr) in lab scale experience. Mendong were cultured in domestic
wastewater from WTP Bojongsoang-Bandung (Indonesia). The result observed that
removal of COD tend to decrease when metal concentration increasing in the
culture. In this study, culture was supplemented with four variations of
concentration Cu and Cr, respectively, without metal addition, 1 mg/L Cu and 0.5
mg/L Cr, 2 mg/L Cu and 1 mg/L Cr, and 3 mg/L Cu and 2 mg/L Cr.The results
observed that removal of COD was 87% efficiency especially in the first six days,
while removal of Ammonium is slower with efficiency about 50% in the control
reactor.In another variation of heavy metal concentration, removal COD was lower
with efficiency only 82-85% during ten days and removal of ammonium was 67 –
79% . Although major removal mechanism of COD was depended on the presence
of heavy metal concebtration in the reactor. While the removal of Cu concentration
 INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON WETLANDS AND SUSTAINABILITY 2007

was 70-80% during 4 days and Cr reached unti 50-80% removal. The presence of
heavy metal tend to inhibit up take of organic compound. The removal and
transformation mechanisms for the organic compound was due by volatilization or
biodegradation, while ammonium or nitrogen content by nitrification while heavy
metal by adsorption of the plant.

Keywords : Copper, Chromium, Constructed Wetland, Mendong (Fimbristylis

Globulosa), Removal, Organic Compound