Prototype of Aquatic Eco-Web for The Biomanagement of Liquid Effluents Ghatnekar Sudhir D.*, Sharma Santosh M., Ghalsasi-Dighe Darshana S. Biotechnology Resource Centre, G/1, Adinath, Shaikh Misry Road, Wadala (E), Mumbai, 400 037 *Correspondence brc_suvash@hotmail.com
Online published on 25 April, 2016. Abstract Present paper highlights the role of aquatic eco-system in waste management along with biodiversity conservation. In a study conducted at BRC, authors created a perpetual aquatic eco-web by rearing Tilapias, Carps, and turtles in ferrocement tanks along with Spirulina platensis, Oscillatoria princeps, Chlorella vulgaris and Lemna gibba. This aquatic eco-web also exhibited a natural succession of Spirogyra sp., Azolla filiculoides, Ceratophyllum demersum, several animalcules, copepods, and insects like dragonfly, butterfly etc. In the study period of six months, this aquatic ecosystem was used for treatment of secondary liquid effluents obtained from a gelatine manufacturing industry using three-tier state-of-the-art biotechnology. The effect of effluents on the stability of the eco-system was monitored periodically. In the process, the effluents exhibited substantial reduction in BOD [from 445 (± 12.45) ppm to 354 (± 12.98) ppm] and COD [from 1832 (± 13.93) ppm to 304 (± 10.30) ppm] values. The acidic pH (6.48 ± 0.138) of the effluents was neutralized (7.3 ± 0.149) after treatment. The organic content of the effluents degraded by inoculated enzymes and microbes were used as nutrients by the floating micro algae and the duckweed. This decreased the TDS content [from 0.272 (± 0.004) % to 0.160 (± 0.008) %]. It was observed that this aquatic ecosystem could effectively treat the obnoxious wastewater without any adverse effect on its biotic components. The treated water can be used for irrigating the neighbouring fields. Top Keywords aquatic eco-web, effluents, hydrarch succession, Spirulina. Top |