PHYTOREMEDIATION OF AIR ORGANIC POLLUTION (PHENOL) USING HYDROPONIC SYSTEM

Introduction: Indoor air pollution plays important role on human health. People spend 90 % of their time in closed spaces, which cause the interest of study about indoor air quality. The main objective of the present study was to design a hydroponic system for indoor air remediation by bacteria and mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus). Materials and methods: Soil surrounding mondo grass roots was sampled and enriched in a mineral salt medium, and at the end enriched consortium was used for bioreactor inoculation. The following is a brief overview of the biofiltration system: Indoor air, sucked by an air compressor, was injected to the bioreactors and circulated to the pots. In order to study the efficiency of biofiltration system, phenol was added to the nutrient solution on a daily basis. After determining the optimum temperature, the system’s ability to degrade various concentrations of phenol was measured. Results: Results showed that enriched consortium had high degradation ability. Among the isolated strains, Staphylococcus epidermis and Pseudomonas sp. were found to be more efficient. Biodegradation rate was higher in 35°C and in all selected phenol concentrations (500 to 1500 mg/L) biofiltration system was able to degrade phenol but in high concentrations, system performance was somewhat reduced. Conclusions: In a nutshell, the results revealed significant ability of hydroponic system for remediation of air by bacteria and plant. Obviously, the system may be seen as an important tool in air bioremediation.