Hydroponics Removal of Wastewater’s Contaminants for the Generation of Commercially Valuable Plants and Environmentally Sound Effluent for The Dead Sea Communities

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate the applications of hydroponic wastewater management systems (HWMS) as wastewater treatment facilities for the Dead Sea vicinity. In addition, it aims at managing the wastewater through generating commercially valuable plants using a proposed HWMS. A commercial hydroponic system was adapted for studying the potential heavy metals removal from primary treated municipal sewage effluent. The system consisted of five plastic gullies, 3 meters long by 100 mm wide. Primary treated effluent was used to irrigate lettuce in one series, and a commercial nutrient solution was used to irrigate the same type of lettuce in another series as a control, both by Nutrient Film Technique (NFT). Lettuces accumulated heavy metals in leaf tissues at concentrations higher than the maximum recommended levels (As = 6.5, Cd = 3.8, Pb = 20 mg kg-1). The hypothetical hydroponic systems may be suitable for the Dead Sea specific conditions where the plentiful salt tolerant plant species may be utilized to manage effluent that would not be safely applied for crop irrigation.