Affiliations: School of Science and Engineering, Teikyo University, 1-1, Toyosato-dai, Utsunomiya City, 320, Japan | Minami Kyoto Laboratory of System Science, 21, Iganishimachi, Momoyama-tsutsui, Fushimiku, Kyoto, 612, Japan
Abstract: Many studies have been done on the removal of pollutants from wastewater using aquatic plants. Water hyacinth has been the most widely-used plant, and systems using water hyacinth are well-established. These systems, however, have a few problems in their practical use. In a previous paper, we proposed a new system that could be used as a substitute for a conventional system or, as a secondary system to assist the conventional one. Mung beans will be used to remove pollutants in this system. In the previous experiment, the removal haracteristics of nutrient salts such as NO−2, NO−3, NH+4 and phosphorus salts from wastewater in residential areas were examined. Mung beans exhibited good characteristics for removing these nutrient salts. At present, pesticides used at golf courses have become a severe environmental problem polluting water supplies. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to verify whether our new system using mung beans was also effective in removing pesticides from wastewater at golf courses. An experiment was conducted on seven different pesticides. They were three insecticides; Diazinon, Fenitrothion and Chlorpyrifos, three fungicides; Captan, Isoprothiolane and Chlorothalonil, and a herbicide; Simazine. The experimental results showed that, under experimental conditions, the pesticides were rapidly removed and that they exhibited no harmful effects on the growth of the mung beans. Mung beans may be used, therefore, to remove pesticides from wastewater at golf courses although further research is needed.
Keywords: environment, wastewater, mung beans, pesticides, golf courses
