VETIVER SYSTEM FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT

Paul Truong, TVN and DNR&M, and BARBARA HART Environmental Consultant, Brisbane, Australia
The
The following
following extraordinary
extraordinary characteristics
characteristics make
make vetiver
vetiver grass
grass an
an exceptional
exceptional candidate
candidate for
for wastewater
wastewater treatment
treatment

** Higher
Higher evapo-transpiration
evapo-transpiration rate
rate than
than most
most wetland
wetland plants
plants ** Highly
Highly tolerant
tolerant to
to soil
soil acidity,
acidity, alkalinity,
alkalinity, salinity
salinity and
and sodicity
sodicity
** Very
Very high
high and
and fast
fast absorption
absorption rate
rate of
of nutrients,
nutrients, particularly
particularly ** Highly
Highly tolerant
tolerant to
to heavy
heavy metal
metal toxicity
toxicity
Ammonia,
Ammonia, total
total Nitrogen
Nitrogen and
and Phosphorus
Phosphorus ** Highly
Highly tolerant
tolerant toto water
water logging
logging and
and inundation
inundation
** Vetiver
Vetiver grass
grass isis normally
normally sterile
sterile and
and non
non invasive
invasive ** Highly
Highly tolerant
tolerant to
to concentrated
concentrated leachates
leachates

Leachate pond infested with Blue Green algae Decontamination trial using floating platform

Removal rates of pollutants from polluted water

Left: Sewage effluent
infested with Blue- Pollutants River 1* River ** Tap
Green algae due to water
high Nitrate (100mg/L)
and high Phosphate Total Concentration 13.8 10.5 0.1
(10mg/L) (mg/L)
N
Right: Same effluent Removal % 71.0 58.1
after 4 days treatment
with vetiver, reducing N
level to 6mg/L (94%) Total P Concentration 0.94 1.03 ND
and P to 1mg/L (90%) (mg/L)
General view of vetiver four months after planting. Effluent Removal % 99.3 93.7
was released upslope from the vetiver rows

*After 3 weeks * * After 2 weeks ND Not detectable

Vetiver planted to treat effluent discharge from this toilet

Two month old roots of a floating

platform Vetiver
Extensive one year old root system Toilet

Nine months later, note the excellent growth of vetiver on the

RHS and poor growth on the LHS, indicating most if not all Effluent
the discharged effluent was absorbed by the first few rows of
vetiver.

Ten months after planting, vetiver grew vigorously and dried up

the discharged effluent completely

A sustainable wastewater treatment system 18

months after planting

MODEL for EFFLUENT DISPOSAL by LAND IRRIGATION

Vetiver is currently being calibrated for application in the MEDLI model. Effectiveness of vetiver in reducing N level in domestic
blackwater
5 rows
2 rows Entry : Total N level at 95.2mg/L
From initial results, the MEDLI model indicated that vetiver is approximately twice as efficient
Entry : Total N level at 95.2mg/L
as some tropical pasture grasses in treating effluent. For example the effluent volume that an area

of 65ha can be sustainably irrigated with effluent from an abattoir:

• For Kikuyu grass: 0.73ML/day

Monitoring
• For Vetiver grass: 1.45ML/day wells

Exit : Total N level at 16mg/L

The difference can be attributed mostly to the tall canopy and extensive root system of Monitoring
or a reduction of 83% wells

This small area of vetiver planting was successfully used to vetiver grass as compared with the prostrate canopy and shallow roots of Kikuyu.
Effluent from this intensive nursery is highly loaded with Exit : Total N level at 1.2mg/L
nutrients, particularly Nitrogen and Phosphorus treat all the effluent runoff from this nursery or a reduction of 99%