Speaker
Description
Lemnaceae (duckweeds) and Azolla, are floating aquatic plants, that exhibit rapid growth in nutrient-rich waters and have considerable potential for biomass production using wastewater derived nutrients. This study evaluated Lemna species and Azolla filiculoides (Azolla) growth performance on industrial meat processing effluent under controlled laboratory conditions. Growth effects of agitations (0, 30, 60, 90, 120 rpm) and surface covers (10, 20, 40, 80%) were investigated over 7 days (Exp.1), followed by continuous cultivation of Azolla under different hydraulic retention times (HRT; 3, 5, 7 days) at 10% surface cover for 15 days (Exp.2). Lemna minor and Lemna minuta exhibited great growth at 60 rpm, achieving RGRs of 0.290 ± 11.34 day⁻¹ and 0.293 ± 2.23 day⁻¹, respectively. Azolla cultivated at lower-moderate surface covers at 60 rpm achieved the highest RGR (20%: 0.10 ± 0.006 day-1). For Exp.2, 3-day HRT supported greater growth (RGR: 0.067 ± 0.002 day-1) than 5- and 7-day HRTs for 9 days. Findings provide insights into the development and optimisation of floating macrophyte-based phytoremediation systems and plant biomass generation.
Keywords
Agitation, hydraulic retention, plant growth
References
- Redmond, C., O’Mahoney, R., Blanchard, M., and Coughlan, N. E. (2025). Varied Growth Media Necessitate Different Light Regimes for Indoor Duckweed Cultivation. Plants, 14(3), 397. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030397.
- Chen, J., Ring, L.P., Jansen, M.A.K., and Coughlan, N.E. (2026). Thick and thin: high plant abundance but low surface cover enhances growth and remediation by floating Azolla filiculoides following wastewater acidification. Water Resources and Industry, 35, 100355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wri.2026.100355.
| Corresponding author email | jingrou.chen@ucc.ie |
|---|---|
| Scientific Session | Applications |
