An inexpensive phytoremediation system for treating 50,000 L/day of sewage

Bhat, Mohd Ashraf; Tabassum-Abbasi,; Abbasi, Tasneem; Abbasi, S. A.

doi:10.1080/15226514.2022.2125497

Cited by 9 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 54 publications

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“…Lim et al [ 45 ] indicated that when earthworms feed upon biomass, they grind it with their gizzard before ingesting it. The animals also release their gut microorganisms, enzymes, and hormones on the surfaces of the ingested biomass fragments to facilitate their biodegradation in the course of their passage through the earthworm gut [ 29 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. Evidently, the disaggregation caused by this process is what is seen highlighted in the micrographs.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Different Species of Epigeic and Anecic Earthworms Cause Similarly Effective and Beneficial Biocomposting—A Case Study Involving the Pernicious Aquatic Weed Salvinia (Salvinia molesta, Mitchell)

Tabassum-Abbasi

Hussain

Khamrang

et al. 2023

Life

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As reported recently by the present authors, vermicomposting by the epigeic earthworm Eisenia fetida transforms the highly ligninous and allelopathic aquatic weed salvinia (Salvinia molesta) into a benign organic fertilizer. The present study was carried out with four other earthworm species, including three epigeic species of different sizes and phytophagic habits: Eisenia andrei, Lumbricus rubillus, and Perionyx sansibaricus. One anecic species, with geophytophagous habits, was also explored for comparison: Drawida willsi. The objective was to see whether the type of salvinia transformation caused by E. fetida is a general phenomenon or whether there are significant differences in the nature of biocomposts generated by different earthworm species. Accordingly, the characteristics of the biocomposts separately generated by each of the six species mentioned above were assessed with UV-visible spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The studies reveal that, with minor variations, the biocomposting by all four species was able to remove the intransigence of salvinia and impart plant/soil-friendly attributes to it in substantial measures. All the findings obtained with different techniques corroborated each other in arriving at this conclusion. Hence, it can be said that, in general, biocomposting by earthworms takes away the toxicity of pernicious weeds such as salvinia, converting them into plant-friendly and soil-friendly biofertilizers.

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