Wastewater hydroponics: Foundations, advancements and prospects for pollutant elimination and food production

Abstract

Massive amounts of wastewater (domestic, factories, and livestock) must be handled in an efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly manner as the world’s population approaches eight billion. Wastewater-based hydroponic systems technology (HP) has the ability to generate economic benefits while effectively removing a broad spectrum of contaminants, including microorganisms, contaminants such as heavy metals, and new as well as old pollutants. This study aims to examine the foundations, applications, and restrictions of wastewater hydroponics technology in terms of pollution and nutrient removal. HP technique continues to have limitations, including high energy consumption, sophisticated control settings, and the unpopularity of using wastewater for agricultural seeding. Thus, more research is needed to reduce system energy use. Furthermore, further study should be conducted on hybrid technologies such as two-stage hydroponics, which recycle contaminants from wastewater into nutrients for hydroponic plants by utilizing aquatic plants. The objective of this study is to give an in-depth examination of the basics, applications, and limitations of wastewater hydroponic systems technology in terms of pollutants and nutrient removal. Unlike constructed wetlands, wastewater hydroponic systems have been demonstrated to be effective in removing contaminants by a smaller scale in situ restoration. COD, TN, TP, Cu, Zn achieved overall removal rates that were exceeding event y percent, sixty percent, eighty percent, 64.2%, and 49.5 respectively.