Optimizing nutrients from fly ash-amended soil through microbial-assisted phytoremediation using response surface...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Soil Science
• Plant Biology

Background:

• Nutrient availability in fly ash (FA) limits its use in phytoremediation.
• Phytoremediation requires adequate plant nutrition for effective waste management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the integration of microbes and treated wastewater for enhanced phytoremediation in FA-amended soils.
• To optimize nutrient accumulation and plant growth parameters using response surface methodology.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Box-Behnken method for experimental design in a pot study.
• Applied Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to model and predict nutrient accumulation.
• Investigated the effects of fly ash percentage, microbial dose, and treated wastewater irrigation.

Main Results:

• Achieved optimal plant growth with a plastochron index of 33.40, absolute growth rate of 2.63 cm/day, leaf area of 2681.68 cm² and biomass of 24.91 g.
• Identified an optimized combination of 14.98% FA, 4.07 mL microbial dose, and treated wastewater for irrigation.
• Reached peak nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation of 212.4 and 8.867 mg/L, respectively.

Conclusions:

• The integration of microbes and treated wastewater irrigation is effective for improving plant growth and nutrient availability in fly ash-amended soils.
• RSM successfully optimized the conditions for enhanced phytoremediation using fly ash.
• This approach offers a sustainable solution for managing fly ash waste and improving soil fertility.