4. Applications of Hydroponic Systems in Phytoremediation of Wastewater

Demands from the agricultural sector to provide the rising population’s needs for fresh produce, together with population growth and urbanization, have severely strained the world’s natural water resources. Water is thus no doubt one of the most important resources in the modern era. Aquatic weeds which are difficult to completely eradicate, are typically considered as a global threat to both humans and the aquatic ecosystem. Nevertheless, several studies and research have demonstrated their importance in the field of wastewater phytoremediation, whether in created wetlands, open ponds, or hydroponic systems in a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable manner with little to no sludge waste. Phytoremediation is the employment of plants to clean up contaminants or lower their bioavailability and using this technique to treat wastewater is referred to as wastewater phytoremediation. Plant body parts come in direct contact with contaminants are considered as the active surface area for phytoremediation. Hydroponics, a soil less method of growing plants in vertical farming, has a promising and economical role in phytoremediation of wastewater and heavy metal by the modest space requirements. Most of the hydroponic studies only feature a single plant species, either rooted or free floating. Grasses having rapid growth rate and large root biomass are preferred. Though foliar surface, root and shoot system have their own mechanism in reducing the contaminants, a key approach of improving the effectiveness is to increase their surface area which in turn provide additional areas for microbes to grow, absorb and take up nutrients. In addition to its use in organic food and ornamental plant culture, the value of hydroponically produced plants in toxicological investigations is firmly established. An alternative sustainable solar energy source or devices can be employed to power the hydroponic systems in order to get good results at a reasonable price.