E.R. Indrayatie, W.H. Utomo, E. Handayanto, C.W.N. Anderson
Three experiments were conducted to study the potential use of vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides L.) to remediate wastewater discharged from a tapioca factory. Two experiments studied the tolerance of vetiver to grow in wastewater, and the other studied the factors influencing the effectiveness of vetiver for the remediation of the wastewater. Vetiver grew well in all wastewater preparations and was able to improve wastewater quality. However, the efficacy of remediation was a function of the remediation system used (wetland or hydroponic) and the density of the plants at the start of the remediation. Vetiver remediation was more efficient in a wetland system. To achieve the water quality standard of the East Java Province, wastewater could be remediated within 30 days using a plant density of approximately 86 g dry biomass/1256 cm2 at the time of starting the remediation, the equivalent of 6.85 t/ha. © 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin, Indonesia; Centre for Soil and Land Resources Management, Brawijaya University, Malang, 65144, Indonesia; Soil and Earth Sciences, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
