Subject: Plants that remove N/P

From: [email-masked] (JEFF ELHAI)
Date: 2 Dec 1994 15:17:37 -0800

Jim Selegean wanted to know:

> -Are certain plants better at removing certain water quality parameter
>  (N,P,C)?
> -Have removal rates been established for various plants?
> -Are any plants of commercial value?

I don't know anything on the subject but you might look at the article below
describing the use of microalgae to remove N & P in effluent from power plants
(I realize these are not the type of plants that prompted Jim's question).

      Wilde EW, Benemann JR, Weissman JC, Tillett DM (1991). J Appl Phycol
            3:159-167. Cultivation of algae and nutrient removal in a waste
            heat utilization process.

John Benemann has done a lot of work looking at the commercial value of algae
to treat wastewater in a variety of settings. Jim might look up some of his
articles.

In addition, it seems to me that Elisha Tel-Or tried to commercialize Azolla
as a means of cleaning up nutrients from the effluent of power plants. I don't
know any publications that came from the project, but his address is:

      Elisha Tel-Or, Agric. Botony, Hebrew University, Rehovot 76100 Israel

I, like Jim, would like to hear about other applications.

Jeff Elhai