From purification to energy: Biogas and biomethane production from Schoenoplectus americanus and a mixture of duckweed from phytoremediation of domestic wastewater.
Quevedo MR, González PS, Bertaina G, Paisio CE
Phytoremediation
Pond plants quietly cleaning your local wastewater could soon power homes — turning something you'd walk past without a second glance into a source of clean energy.
Scientists took aquatic plants that had been used to filter dirty household wastewater and tested how much energy they could produce by breaking them down in sealed containers without oxygen — a process similar to how compost generates gas. Two very different plants, a tall bulrush and tiny floating duckweed, both produced roughly the same amount of burnable methane gas. This means communities could grow these plants to clean water AND harvest them for fuel, getting two environmental benefits from one system.
Key Findings
Bulrush (Schoenoplectus americanus) had a high carbohydrate content of 71% dry weight, while duckweed had a high protein content of 58% dry weight — showing distinct biochemical profiles.
Despite their different compositions, both plants produced similar biochemical methane potential: ~146 mL CH₄/g VS for bulrush and ~153 mL CH₄/g VS for duckweed.
Both substrates reached stable methane production in batch anaerobic digestion assays, confirming their viability as renewable energy feedstocks after wastewater phytoremediation.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Aquatic plants used to clean wastewater can then be harvested and converted into biogas, turning a waste management challenge into an energy opportunity. This study found that both bulrush and duckweed produce similar amounts of methane after anaerobic digestion, making them viable dual-purpose crops for water treatment and renewable energy.
Abstract Preview
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising strategy for converting organic biomass into biogas and methane. In this context, plant biomass generated after domestic wastewater phytoremediation represen...
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