Abstract
Perennial grasses as energy crops grown using different types of wastewater.
The reuse of wastewater is a sustainable practice for both increasing water supplies to agriculture and managing their disposal issues. The benefits being the plant’s use of the nutrients present in wastewater and therefore a reduction in the pollution load that wastewater contributes to the surface and ground water bodies. The aim of the experiment was to produce energy crops using four types of waste water resources, thereby examining the nutrient supply to plant growth and the resultant biomass production. Growth of crops in wastewater depends on wastewater quality mainly nutrient concentration, pH and electrical conductivity (EC). The nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentration of piggery wastewater were 359.77 and 52.97 mg/L and that of dairy farm wastewater were 422 and 27.76 mg/L, respectively. The pH of winery wastewater was slightly acidic (4.73) and that of others were nearly neutral (6.44 to 7.59). Piggery wastewater showed the highest biomass yield (Napier grass-206.27 g/pot; Giant reed-150.67 g/pot), whereas winery wastewater showed the lowest. These wastewater resources can be used to grow energy crops in disturbed sites such as mine sites and landfill sites.
Perennial grasses as energy crops grown using different types of wastewater.
The reuse of wastewater is a sustainable practice for both increasing water supplies to agriculture and managing their disposal issues. The benefits being the plant’s use of the nutrients present in wastewater and therefore a reduction in the pollution load that wastewater contributes to the surface and ground water bodies. The aim of the experiment was to produce energy crops using four types of waste water resources, thereby examining the nutrient supply to plant growth and the resultant biomass production. Growth of crops in wastewater depends on wastewater quality mainly nutrient concentration, pH and electrical conductivity (EC). The nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentration of piggery wastewater were 359.77 and 52.97 mg/L and that of dairy farm wastewater were 422 and 27.76 mg/L, respectively. The pH of winery wastewater was slightly acidic (4.73) and that of others were nearly neutral (6.44 to 7.59). Piggery wastewater showed the highest biomass yield (Napier grass-206.27 g/pot; Giant reed-150.67 g/pot), whereas winery wastewater showed the lowest. These wastewater resources can be used to grow energy crops in disturbed sites such as mine sites and landfill sites.