Eco-Technological Treatment of Domestic Organic Pollution byTypha angustifolia in the Arid Zones of Southern Algeria

Abstract

The presence of plants in aquatic ecosystems  such as lakes, swamps, and ponds is a vital biological phenomenon, as it results from natural physiological processes dependent on the availability of essential elements in nature: water, light, and atmospheric carbon dioxide. These elements are indispensable for the production of organic matter through the process of photosynthesis. However, this process must remain balanced, as excessive nutrient enrichment (eutrophication) can negatively affect the growth of aquatic plants and eventually lead to their decline or death.   In our year-long study conducted in 2024, we investigated the capacity of the plant Narrowleaf cattail (Typha angustifolia) to treat domestic wastewater in the city of Touggourt, southern Algeria. The focus was on organic pollutants, namely Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Biological Oxygen Demand over five days (BOD5). The plant demonstrated remarkable purification efficiencies, which were recorded as follows: 95.23% for TSS, 82.59% for COD, and 85.51% for BOD5. Consequently, the overall purification rate for organic pollution reached 87.77%  a result that reflects the high potential of Narrowleaf cattail in reducing such contaminants. In general, the findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of this plant species in removing organic and nitrogenous pollutants from domestic wastewater, particularly in arid and semi-arid climatic regions.