Study of the Removal of Humic Acid, Organic Pollutant by Water
Hyacinth Plant from Aquatic Environment and Its Effect on pH, Chlorophyll
Content and Degradation
Affiliations: Biophysics Lab., Dept. of Physics, University of
Udayana, Kampus Bukit Jimbaran, Bali – 80361, Indonesia | Applied-Physics Lab., Dept. of Physics, University of
Udayana, Bali – 80361, Indonesia
Abstract: Humic acid (HA) is a pollutant formed in aquatic environment. Water
hyacinth (WH) is a common aquatic plant in tropical regions and easily grows in
heavily polluted water. The objective of this work is to investigate the
capability of WH to remove HA from aquatic environment and its effects on pH,
chlorophyll (Chl) content and degradation. The absorbtion was measured using
UV-Vis spectroscopy. WH was grown in various media such as distilled water
(DW), river water (RW) and HA solution with different concentrations, from 12
to 60 ppm. The absorbtion of two wavelengths, 250 and 275 nm of each sample
medium were recorded after 1, 3, 5 and 8 days of exposure. The difference in
concentration between control and treated media was found to be significant (p
< 0.05). The study shows that WH can absorb HA from aquatic environment and
help to maintain the stable condition of their aquatic environment. HA helps in
increasing the concentration of Chl-a, Chl-b and total Chl of WH leaves. HA
have more effect on Chl-b. Also, it has been found that HA act as a catalyst in
degradation process of Chl pigments in the aquatic environment.
