Evaluación del tratamiento de electrocoagulación seguido del proceso de fitorremediación de Eichhornia crassipes en aguas residuales de curtiembre de la provincia de Tungurahua

Abstract

Tannery wastewater, with its complex mixture of organic compounds, salts and heavy metals, constitutes a serious environmental threat when released without adequate treatment, negatively affecting water quality and aquatic life. This project focuses on the evaluation of a combined treatment of electrocoagulation and phytoremediation with Eichhornia crassipes in wastewater from a tannery in Tungurahua. The methodology used involved the initial characterization of physicochemical parameters with Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater using the HANNA equipment. The treatment was divided into two phases: electrocoagulation as pretreatment and phytoremediation with different masses of E. crassipes (138, 217 and 520) grams. For two months, a detailed monitoring of the decontamination was carried out, evaluating the parameters according to the TULSMA regulations. Preliminary results revealed that electrocoagulation achieved significant reductions of 60 to 80 percent in several contaminants. Phytoremediation, especially with E. crassipes M3, proved to be highly effective in the absorption and accumulation of heavy metals, achieving notable removals of 90 to 100 percent. This combined approach emerges as a promising solution for tannery wastewater treatment, highlighting the importance of technology integration to address the complexity of these industrial effluents. The project not only contributes to environmental mitigation but also to the implementation of sustainable strategies in industrial wastewater management.