Artificial Floating Island with <i>Vetiver</i> for Treatment of Arsenic-Contaminated Water: A Real Scale Study in High-Andean Reservoir

• Main Authors: Kalina Marcela Fonseca Largo, Joseline Luisa Ruiz Depablos, Edgar Fabián Espitia-Sarmiento, Nataly Marisol Llugsha Moreta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Water
• Subjects: Arsenic uptake; artificial floating island; phytoremediation; <i>Vetiver</i>
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/11/3086

Arsenic found in agriculture water reservoirs represents a threat to water security and safe agricultural products in developing countries. Small farms do not implement traditional water treatments due to the high cost; hence, a nature-based solution is an alternative to tackling this challenge. This paper investigated the potential of artificial floating island with <i>Vetiver</i> (AFIV) for the geogenic arsenic removal present in the reservoir of the Ilinizas páramo in Ecuador. We constructed two AFIV systems using PVC pipes in a reservoir batch type with a 3.6 m³ treatment capacity. Arsenic and iron were analyzed in duplicated every 30 days at the affluent and effluent through 120 days. The average remediation of arsenic was recorded as 97% in water and 84% in sediment, while the average remediation of iron was 87% in sediment. The survival rate of macrophytes was 92%; they accumulated arsenic in its roots that acted as a barrier against the translocation. The research demonstrated that the use of AFIV has the potential to rehabilitate reservoirs contaminated with arsenic under adverse climatic conditions such as the páramo ecosystem.