Assessing Lotus for Wastewater Bioremediation

  • 47 pages

  • Published: 14 Sep 2009

  • Author(s): Morgan, J, Constantinoiu, C, Jorgensen, W

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Lotus is identified as an emergent water plant with capabilities of utilising nutrients from the bottom sediments in fish ponds. This RIRDC publication assesses the efficiency of lotus to reduce the amount of nutrients generated in a freshwater aquaculture system.
Lotus represents a low cost option for maintaining and improving water quality and utilising nutrients in the bottom sediments.
There is a real constraint on development of aquaculture in northern Queensland due to restriction of water discharge and extraction. New methods of farming aquatic organisms must be developed to improve water efficiency and permit expansion and economies of scale. Further development of the value added sector of the industry is reliant on expanding production in current commercial systems while maintaining or reducing discharges of wastewater. In a two year production cycle of farms producing 2kg+ fish, there is a high economic loss of crop due to pond crashes in the second summer, when nutrients in bottom sediments are mobilised during the anaerobic conditions following thermocline establishment.
The research is targeted for the freshwater Aquaculture Industry and other industries that are interested in reducing nutrients from wastewater.