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Halophytes for the Treatment of Saline Aquaculture Effluent

EPA Grant Number: U914966
Title: Halophytes for the Treatment of Saline Aquaculture Effluent
Investigators: Brown, Jonathan J.
Institution: University of Arizona
EPA Project Officer: Just, Theodore J.
Project Period: January 1, 1996 through January 1, 1998
Project Amount: $102,000
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (1996)
Research Category: Fellowship - Horticulture , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Academic Fellowships

Description:

Objective:

The objective of this research project is to grow halophytes using nutrient-rich saline wastewater from aquaculture operations. If this wastewater can raise a useful and economically beneficial halophyte crop on land (either for oilseed or forage), an additional benefit may be that excess nutrients can be removed by the plants from the wastewater stream. My hypothesis is that the halophyte species under examination will sequester a significant amount of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous from the wastewater stream over a wide range of salinity treatments using conventional leaching fractions. This is attributed to their unique physiological adaptations for survival under high-salinity, low-nutrient conditions.

Approach:

I recently completed the first experiment of my research. This experiment examined the feasibility of using halophytes for phytoremediation of saline aquaculture waste. This experiment compared nutrient assimilation (nitrogen and phosphorous), growth rates, shoot/root ratios, and nonprotein/protein nitrogen ratios in Salicornia bigelovii, Suadeda esteroa, and Atriplex barclyana plants irrigated with aquaculture wastewater of different salinities. Additional greenhouse experiments will involve larger lysimeters containing higher densities of plants to simulate field conditions. Experiments also will be conducted in which the leaching fraction is manipulated.

The results of this research project would be of use to power-plant operators; power plants generate large quantities of saline wastewater that could be used to irrigate halophyte crops. Because halophyte agriculture is a growing area, this research also will be of interest to farmers growing halophyte crops who are using traditional fertilizers on their fields. This research project will supply data on nutrient-assimilation capacity and growth rate under varying salinity regimes. For the same reason, this research project will be useful to researchers working on basic halophyte physiology.

Supplemental Keywords:

fellowship, halophytes, saline, aquaculture effluent, wastewater, nutrient assimilation, nitrogen, phosphorous. , Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, RFA, ECOSYSTEMS, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Aquatic Ecosystem, Aquatic Ecosystems, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, phosphorus, nitrogen uptake, saline wastewater, nitrogen cycling, aquaculture, halophytes

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.

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