Comparative Evaluation of Fittonia argyroneura and Syngonium podophyllum in Phytoremediation of Synthetic Domestic Wastewater under Different Contact Times

Abstract:

This study investigates the effect of contact time on the phytoremediation efficiency of Fittonia argyroneura and Syngonium podophyllum in treating synthetic domestic wastewater. The performance of both plant species was evaluated over a contact time range of 24 to 120 hours by monitoring the removal efficiency of key pollutants, including nitrate (NO₃⁻), phosphate (PO₄³⁻), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Results revealed that both species demonstrated a significant capacity for contaminant removal, albeit with varying effectiveness. Syngonium podophyllum showed superior performance in nutrient removal, achieving maximum removal efficiencies approximately of 100% for nitrate and 60% for phosphate at 24 and 120 hours, respectively. In terms of biological oxygen demand (BOD), Fittonia argyroneura had a maximum removal rate of almost 90% at a contact period 120 hr., whereas Syngonium podophyllum had a removal rate of 70% at a contact time of 72 hours. Fittonia argyroneura and Syngonium podophyllum plants had the highest COD elimination rates after a 120-hour contact period, at 85% and 79%, respectively. F. argyroneura also stimulates the establishment of aerobic bacterial populations, which play a key role in the oxidation and degradation of organic compounds. The results obtained emphasize the potential of ornamental plants for phytoremediation of wastewater, with distinct species exhibiting preferential removal of specific pollutants dependent on contact time.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 1052)
• Pages: 151-158
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-5qZeEl
• Online since: May 2026
• Authors: Afnan I. Abdulkareem, Haneen A. Kh. Karaghool*
• Keywords: Domestic Wastewater, Fittonia argyroneura, Phytoremediation, Syngonium podophyllum

References

[1] A. I. Abdulkareem and H. A. K. Karaghool, "Comparative Assessment of Ornamental Plants in a Laboratory-Scale Constructed Wetland for TDS Reduction from Simulated Domestic Wastewater."

DOI: 10.61268/04p5jp65

[2] M. Chhimwal and R. Srivastava, "Microcosmic plant and fungi synergism-based filter to remediate the pollutants from industrial wastewater," Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 77, pp.322-327, 2023.

DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2022.11.418

[3] H. A. K. Karaghool and N. N. Ismaeal, "Using A Subsurface Vertical Flow System to Remediate Municipal Wastewater," International Journal of Sustainable Construction Engineering and Technology, vol. 13, pp.107-113, 2022.

DOI: 10.30880/ijscet.2022.13.03.010

[4] M. M. Mirzaee, M. ZakeriNia, and M. Farasati, "The effects of phytoremediation of treated urban wastewater on the discharge of surface and subsurface drippers (Case study: Gorgan wastewater treatment plant in northern Iran)," Cleaner Engineering and Technology, vol. 4, p.100210, 2021.

DOI: 10.1016/j.clet.2021.100210

[5] D. Arivukkarasu and R. Sathyanathan, "Phytoremediation of domestic sewage using a floating wetland and assessing the pollutant removal effectiveness of four terrestrial plant species," H2Open Journal, vol. 6, pp.173-187, 2023.

DOI: 10.2166/h2oj.2023.032

[6] K. J. Reddy and J. Lin, "Nitrate removal from groundwater using catalytic reduction," Water research, vol. 34, pp.995-1001, 2000.

DOI: 10.1016/s0043-1354(99)00227-4

[7] J. Wang, Y. Zheng, X. Zhou, X. Wang, Y. Lv, J. Xu, et al., "Simultaneous bio-clogging mitigation and nutrient removal enhancement via sulfide addition in constructed wetlands," Chemical Engineering Journal, p.166194, 2025.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2025.166194

[8] N. Aziz and J. Grabic, "An overview of Constructed wetlands systems in context of Sustainable water treatment."

[9] S. Jamilatun and N. Nurmustaqimah, "Effectiveness of phytoremediation method using water hyacint plants in reducing bod and TDS content in batik industry liquid waste," in BIO Web of Conferences, 2024, p.02001.

DOI: 10.1051/bioconf/202414802001

[10] D. Sheoran and S. Singh, "Examining the efficacy of constructed wetland coupled microbial fuel cell to treat textile wastewater using local wetlands plant species," Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 31, pp.66136-66149, 2024.

DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-35601-y