The removal of ciprofloxacin from synthetic wastewater in constructed wetland

Considering the health effects of antibiotics in the environment, effective monitoring and treatment technologies are needed to mitigate social and environmental impacts. The present study was carried out to investigate the efficiency of the constructed wetland (CW) on the removal of Ciprofloxacin (CIP) from aqueous samples. Experiments were conducted in pilot scale CWs planted with single plants of Cyperus alternifolius, Canna indica and one planted with both plant species. Analysis of CIP concentrations in the influent and effluent samples was done using Cary 60 UV–Vis spectrophotometer, while physical-chemical parameters were monitored for the influent and effluent samples. The removal efficiency of physico-chemical parameters was ˃70% for Nitrate, ˃60% for Phosphate, ˃70% for BOD and ˃77% for COD. The maximum removal of CIP (77.1%) was observed in CW planted with Cyperus alternifolius during a 7 days hydraulic retention time (HRT). The results of this study show superior performance of Cyperus alternifolius than Canna indica. There was no significance difference (p > 0.05) produced by mixing the two plants in a CW. However, mixing of plants especially ornamental plants in CWs brings good visual impression of the systems while treating the wastewater. This study demonstrate that CW can remove antibiotics from wastewater. The best performance depends on best selection and best combination of the plants.