Livestock wastewater treatment by a mangrove pot-cultivation system and the effect of salinity on the nutrient removal efficiency

The present investigation compared the capacity of greenhouse pot-cultivation systems under two salinity conditions (freshwater and saline water) with two mangrove species (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Kandelia candel) to remove nutrients from livestock wastewater. During the whole treatment period there were relatively stable leachate TOC concentrations for wastewater-treated pots. Leachate NH4+-N concentration of B. gymnorrhiza pots was generally lower than that of K. candel pots. Leachate PO43--P concentration of pots receiving wastewater under freshwater condition was higher than that under saline water condition. Soil inorganic N content was more than two times higher for the wastewater treatments than that for the controls under low salinity condition and slower rate of increase under saline water condition. Soil P nutrients of both total and extractable inorganic forms significantly increased for both systems due to the discharges of livestock wastewater under both salinity conditions. The rate of increase in P contents for plants receiving livestock wastewater was 1-4 times that of the controls, much more than that in N contents (0.04-1.30 times). N nutrient removal efficiencies were 84.3% (65.6% by soil and 18.7% by plant) and 95.5% (32.2% by soil and 63.4% by plant), respectively by Kandelia candel and B. gymnorrhiza pot-cultivation systems under freshwater condition. Under saline water condition, N nutrient removal efficiencies by K. candel and B. gymnorrhiza pot-cultivation systems were 92.7% (80.7% by soil and 12.0% by plant) and 98.0% (67.6% by soil and 30.3% by plant), respectively. P nutrient removal efficiencies by K. candel and B. gymnorrhiza systems under freshwater condition were 79.2% (76.6% by soil and 2.6% by plant) and 91.8% (88.2% by soil and 3.6% by plant), respectively. The corresponding values were 88.0% (84.2% by soil and 3.8% by plant) and 97.8% (95.9% by soil and 1.9% by plant) under saline water condition. Copyright © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd