CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Summary of findings
Domestic wastewater treatment in urban areas especially in subdivisions was difficult
considering the small available space for treatment facilities and lack of soil and
disposal of greywater without any treatment being done by the households was one
of the problems that should be addressed. The study aims to reduce the
contaminants present in domestic greywater by integrating a modified nutrient-film
technique hydroponic system planted with water spinach for utilization of the
wastewater at the same time able to grow crops for human consumption. A set of
kangkong consisted by 48 stalks are used for each trial in the hydroponics system. A
50-L synthetic greywater was used as the representative for household greywater
effluent discharge. For objective 1, a time series pretest-posttest method was
employed. For the 2nd and 3rd objective, a pretest-posttest method employed
measuring the parameter level in the initial (day 0) and after treatment and harvest
(day 7). For the first objective, exponential regression was used to interpret the data
and obtain the kinetic parameters. One sample t-tests were used in statistically
interpreting the results of objective 2 and 3. A two sample t-test was then used for
interpreting the removal efficiency of objective 2. For the objective 1, the results
show a kinetic behaviour of 1 st order reaction having obtained a 1 st order kinetic
constant (k) of 0.382 days -1. For the second objective, the results show that the
parameters BOD, TSS, and TDS have significantly passed the standards set by
DENR having values significantly lower than the standard values. Thus, with BOD,
TSS, and TDS considered, the effluent treated by the hydroponics system can be
disposed in Class C and Class D waters or reused in certain functions as the

standards specify. The system provided an average reduction of 93.04%, 91.72%,

and 10.19% for the parameters BOD, TSS, and TDS respectively. For the third
objective, since both the initial and final concentration of cadmium and lead in water
spinach samples proved to be higher than the maximum levels indicated in the
standards of Codex Alimentarius, there is no concludable relationship between the
exposure of the water spinach to the wastewater and the hydroponic setup itself.
2. Conclusions
For the first objective, it is concluded that the BOD reduction in the hydroponics
system follows a first order kinetics. Using the corrected BOD curve, the kinetics
curve

yielded

the

equation

263.09e -0.382t

with having an R of 0.9741. With this R 2 close to one (as it is the best R 2 obtained
from the data gathering), it is concluded that the BOD reduction follows a first order
kinetics. The equation also provided a value for the kinetic constant specific for
hydroponic system of this study which is of the value 0.382 days -1. The higher the
kinetic constant of the system, the faster for the system to reduce the BOD level of
the treated greywater. For the second objective, it is concluded that on the 7 th day of
treatment with the hydroponics system, all parameters, namely BOD, TSS, and TDS
proved to have passed the DENR standards for Class C and Class D waters. This
means that the effluent of the hydroponics system can be safely discharged to Class
C and Class D waters and could also be reused for specific purposed indicated by
the standards. For the 3 rd objective, it cannot be concluded that any water spinach
that can be harvested from the hydroponics system is toxicologically unacceptable
nor acceptable since initial concentrations of lead and cadmium are already higher
than that of the standards. It is also noticeable that there is an increase of cadmium
concentration in water spinach having an increase 0.81 mg/kg from the initial

concentration to the final concentration. Thus, the usage of the synthetic greywater
in the hydroponic system contributed to an increase of cadmium concentration in the
planted water spinach due to metal uptake. Thus, further study should be applied to
be able to have a significant conclusion of this objective.
3. Recommendations for future research
The researchers would like to recommend that further research of this study should
be conducted. There are many errors encountered in this study that gave differing
values and deviations from theoretical expectations were observed due to these
errors. It is recommended that: (1) further study of the construction and design of the
hydroponic system should be done, in terms of its dimensions and if other additional
equipment like filters should be added to the system itself. (2) It should also be good
that the choice of the plant should be studied and it is suggested that a much more
higher-valued crop should be used in this study for a much greater economic and
societal impact. (3) Variation of other parameters like recirculation flowrate is also a
good focus of study since in this study, the flowrate is constant. (4) Considering the
limitations of the study, it is recommended that there should be further research and
experimentation on other possible factors that may affect the BOD reduction in the
hydroponics system, like for instance, the growth of the plant and crop science
concepts behind it. (5) It should be recommended that all the errors in this study
should be avoided if a similar study is conducted, like the effects of delayed sample
analysis, low reservoir levels, and decaying plant matter. (6) Considering the 3 rd
objective, it is recommended to have a separate study on the cadmium and lead
levels on the water spinach that are sold in the market since selling toxicologically
unacceptable crops is prohibited by law. (7) It is also recommended that a similar

plant toxicity analysis should be done but referring to the natural toxins as also
stated in the Codex Alimentarius.