Speaker
Description
Wastewater management is a growing concern in aquarium systems. The discharge of untreated aquarium effluent into the environment contributes to pollution and poses ecological risks. Large-scale aquaculture adopts advanced filtration technologies are often expensive and difficult for small-scale aquarium keepers. There is a need for low-cost and sustainable wastewater treatment strategies. Plant-based materials can be promising alternatives due to their pollutant removal potential. This study is evaluating natural materials such as Indian almond leaves, bamboo leaves, and charcoal in filtration to improve aquarium wastewater quality. Aquarium effluent water was collected and treated with leaf and charcoal combinations. T1 – Indian almond leaves, T2 and T3 – bamboo and Indian almond leaves (different ratios), and T4 – bamboo leaves, each combined with 1 g charcoal (2 g total). A control without plant materials was included to assess natural changes. Leaves were washed, sun-dried, crushed, briefly boiled, soaked for 24 h, and re-dried. Charcoal was washed, oven-dried, crushed, and sieved. Each material combination was placed in muslin filter pouches and submerged in wastewater for 28 days. Water quality parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate were assessed on 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Statistical analysis showed significant differences among treatments (P<0.05). All the combinations significantly reduced turbidity and nutrient concentrations compared to the control. All treatments stabilized electrical conductivity and pH within the range of 7.7–7.9. Dissolved oxygen levels improved, while biochemical oxygen demand decreased to 2.0 mg/L, indicating effective reduction of organic load. The charcoal and bamboo leaf combination showed the highest nitrate removal, whereas Indian almond leaves were particularly effective in reducing nitrite concentrations to <0.1 mg/L. Phosphate concentrations were significantly reduced to 0.108–0.175 mg/L across treatments. This study shows that bamboo leaves, Indian almond leaves, and charcoal, used individually or in combination, can significantly improve wastewater quality. All the water quality standards adhered to Sri Lankan Central Environmental Authority acceptable standards. These findings confirm that natural leaf–charcoal filtration systems represent a sustainable, biodegradable, and cost-effective filters for small-scale and household aquaculture.
Key words: Aquarium wastewater, Bamboo leaves, Charcoal, Indian almond leaves, Plant-based filtration.
