Modification of municipal wastewaters using duckweed and alligatorweed communities / by Pamela C. Ellis.

Author/creator Ellis, Pamela C. author.
Other author Davis, Graham J., degree supervisor.
Other author East Carolina University. Department of Biology.
Format Theses and dissertations
Production1981.
Descriptionv, 57 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm
Supplemental ContentAccess via ScholarShip
Subjects

Summary Six experimental lagoons were constructed at the Murfreesboro, N. C. wastewater treatment facilities to explore the possibilities of using floating vascular plants to improve the quality of municipal wastewater effluent. Two lagoons contained alligatorweed communities, two contained duckweed communities, and two lagoons served as controls. Static systems employing a 12 day detention were not effective at wastewater processing, while both duckweed and alligatorweed communities in a flowthrough system improved the quality of the effluent of the Murfreesboro lagoon. BOD, total suspended solids, water transparency, and pH were significantly improved by the lagoons with plants as compared to the control lagoons. Ammonium and dissolved oxygen levels of the plant community lagoons were adversely affected by the floating vascular plant systems and the concentrations of these components could have a detrimental effect on receiving waters. Algal unit counts were strongly correlated with total suspended solids with 59% of the variance being explained by the presence of algae. Alligatorweed communities were more effective in improving wastewater quality than were the duckweed communities, but the effectiveness of alligatorweed as a wastewater processor decreased following its infestation by what appeared to be the alligatorweed stem borer (Vogtia malloi Pastrana). There was a significant reduction in total nitrogen in the water by the alligatorweed communities.
General note"Presented to the faculty of the Department of Biology ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Biology."
General noteAdvisor: Graham J. Davis
Dissertation noteM.S. East Carolina University 1981
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 32-34).
Genre/formdissertations.
Genre/formAcademic theses.
Genre/formAcademic theses.
Genre/formThèses et écrits académiques.

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