The utilization of higher plants and their associated microorganisms to solve environmental pollution problems on Earth and in future space applications is briefly reviewed. If man is sealed inside closed facilities, he becomes a polluter of the environment. It is also common knowledge to most people that man cannot survive on Earth without green photosynthesizing plants and microorganisms. Therefore, it is vitally important to have a better understanding of the interactions of man with plants and microorganisms. Biosphere 2 and other related studies presently being conducted or planned, hopefully, will supply data that will help save planet Earth from impending environmental disaster. The development of means to utilize both air and water pollution as a nutrient source for growing green plants is examined

Wolverton, B. C.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

N91-13851
Plants and their Microbial Assistants:
Nature's Answer to Earth's Environmental Pollution Problems
B.C. Wolverton, Ph.D.
Director, Wolverton Environmental Services
Picayune, Mississippi
Before my recent retirement from the U.S. Govern-
ment, I was employed with NASA as a research
scientist at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi
for over 18 years. These past 18 years have been
a challenge to maintain funding for continuing re-
search in the utilization of higher plants and their
associated microorganisms to solve environmental
pollution problems on Earth and in future space
applications. 112 Hopefully, this research with
plants and microorganisms will continue at NASA.
Even though I have retired from NASA, I will con-
tinue my research and will concentrate on applying
this technology to solving some of Earth's environ-
mental pollution problems.
If man is sealed inside closed facilities, we all
know he becomes a polluter of the environment. It
is also common knowledge to most people that
man cannot survive on Earth without green photo-
synthesizing plants and microorganisms. There-
fore, it is vitally important that we have a better
understanding of the interactions of man with
plants and microorganisms. (Figure 1) Biosphere
2 and other related studies presently being con-
ducted or planned, hopefully, will supply data that
will help save planet Earth from impending environ-
mental disaster.
I personally feel that a promising solution to the
Earth's environmental pollution problems is the
development of a means to utilize both air and
water pollution as a nutrient source for growing
green plants. To this goal, I have dedicated the past
twenty years of my life. As I tour the world and
lecture on this approach to environmental pollution
control, people are beginning to understand and
accept the idea of using nature to clean our envi-
ronment.
Sewage is now being used as a nutrient solu-
tion for growing plants while the plant roots and
associated microorganisms convert sewage to
clean water. This new concept is rapidly gaining
acceptance because it is the most economical
means of treating sewage, especially for rural
areas and small cities (Table 1).
Microorganisms have always been used by
engineers to treat sewage and industrial wastewa-
ter. But the use of higher plants in completing
nature's cycle is a new addition to this process.
Although microorganisms are a vital part of waste-
water treatment, it is important to have vascular
plants growing in these treatment filters to feed off
the metabolic by-products of microorganisms and
to prevent slime layer formation from dead micro-
organisms. Aquatic plant roots can also add trace
levels of oxygen to help maintain aerobic condi-
tions in plant-microbial wastewater treatment fil-
ters.
One question often asked is, "Will this waste-
water treatment system work in cold climates?"
This question has been answered by a small town,
Monterey, Virginia. Located in the mountains of
western Virginia, near the West Virginia border,
Monterey's temperature reaches levels of -30 de-
grees Fahrenheit. This small town has installed a
bulrush/rock filter system to treat their waste. This
system has been in operation over two years now
and the latest data available indicated it was meet-
ing design treatment levels.
The largest aquatic plant rock filter system
6o
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19910004538 2020-03-19T20:37:26+00:00Z
installedto dateisat DenhamSprings,Louisiana.
Thissystemistreatingapproximatelythreemillion
gallonsper day of domesticsewage.With EPA
grantmoneybeingphasedout,theonlyaffordable
alternativefor smalltownsandruralareasis the
aquatic plant wastewatertreatmentsystem.To
demonstratethe effectivenessof aquatic plant
wastewatertreatmentsystems,datafroma mobile
homeparkin Pearlington,Mississippidesignedto
treat 10,000gallonsper day is shown(Table2).
The owner has converted his sewage treatment
system into a beautiful flower garden containing
canna lilies, water iris and elephant ears.
Although the largest number of aquatic plant
wastewater treatment systems installed to date
have been for treating domestic sewage, the use
of these systems for treating industrial chemical
wastewater is rapidly increasing (Table 3). The
chemical manufacturing industry, paper mills, the
textile industry and animal processing plants are
beginning to utilize the aquatic plant wastewater
treatment process as an economical and environ-
mentally safe method of treating their wastewater
(Figure 2). The catfish farmers in Mississippi are
also experimenting with aquatic plant filters for
treating and recycling their fish culture waters.
Houseplants combined with activated carbon
filters are also a promising solution to the complex
problems of indoor air pollution. The United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies
have stated that indoor air pollution represents a
major portion of the public exposure to air pollution
MAN'S INTERACTION WITH HIS ENVIRONMENT
PLANTS, SOIL, MICROORGANISMS, AND WATER
CARBON DIOXIDE
OXYGEN
TRACE ORGANIC CHEMICALS
Figure 1. Man's interaction with his environment: plants, soil, microorganisms, and water.
61
ORIGINAL FAG_. IS
OF POOR QUALITY
SMALL TOWNS, MOBILE HOME PARKS GOVERNMENT
SUBDIVISIONS, AND SINGLE HOMES INDUSTRY FACILITIES
1.Monterey Va*
2.Albany, La*
3.Benton, La*
4.Crowley, La
5Choudrant, La
6.Delcambre, La
7Denham Springs, La*
8.Haughton, La*
9.Livingston Parish,La*
10.Mandeville, La(City)*
11 .Mandeville, La
(Subdivision)*
12.St. Martinville, La
13.Sunset, La.
14.Sibley, La*
15.Collins. Ms*
16.Leakesville, Ms
17.Pearlington, Ms*
18.Pelahatchie, Ms*
19.Union, Ms
20.Utica, Ms*
21 .Summit, Ms
• 22.Picayune, Ms*
23.Terry, Ms
24.Cottonwood, AI*
25.Mauriceville, Tx*
(Restaurant & Store)
1.Natchitoches, La*
(Tenn Gas Pipeline Co.)
2.Theodore, AI* (Degussa
Chemical Corporation)
3.Columbus, Ms.
(WeyerhausePaper Mill)
4.New Augusta, Ms (Leaf
River Forest Products, Paper
Mill)
5.Sulphur, La (Fredeman Shipyard)
*In operation. All others under construction or in planning and design phase,
1.Carville, La*
(U.S.P.H.S.
Disease Center)
2.NASA. John C.
Stennis Space
Center, Ms*
Table 1. Aquatic plant wastewater treatment systems using technology developed by B.C. Wolverton, Ph.D..
I Chicken Plant ProcessingARTIFICIAL MARSH I Waste and Domestic Sewage
WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM I -s0o.o00 Gallons Per Day
FOR PELAHATCHIE, MISSISSIPPI1.5.AcreJ
Anaerobic Lagoons
Flow-Splitter Box (9 Feet Deep) - ---
Sawtooth__ _ _ _______
Weir Structure
Rock/Plant Filters _
Sawtooth . _ -,
Weir Structure_ _.Cascade Aeration
Structure
.I
)
p,
EfflTreatec
- : 10-Horsepowen
_Aerators ........
_Facultative Lagoon_
_(15 Acres)
_Discharge Into_
Open Channel
Marsh Filter
Flow Control Structure
Open Channel Marsh Filter
(Duckweed/Bulrushl
_nt
Figure 2. Artificial Marsh Wastewater Treatment System for Pelahatchie, Mississippi.
62
SEPTIC TANK ROCK/PLANTWASTEWATERTREATMENTSYSTEMFOR
SUNRISE HAVENMOBILE HOMEPARK, PEARLINGTON,MISSISSIPPI
SEPTIC TANK EFFLUENT
(mglL)
MARSH FILTER EFFLUENT
(mg/1)
Feca[ Coliform
Date BOD5 TSS Colonies/lO0 ml BOD_ TS___SS
6/88 138 20 5.8 x 10 s 7.2 0
7/88 Ill 16 2.9 x 10 _ 7.5 0
8/88 83 0 2.0 x i0 _ 6.5 0
9/88 i19 28 1.9 x I0 _ 5.6 0
10/88 126 136 I.i x I0 _ 5.2 8
11/88 95 184 2.2 x IO s 2.8 0
12/88 134 270 3.8 x I0 _ 7.9 8
1/89 86 24 3.8 x I0 _ 6.6 12
2/89 97 46 1.O x I0 _ 5.4 6
3/89 86 16 1.0 x lO _ 6.3 4
4/89 183 130 1.5 x lO b 7.4 5
5/89 164 i00 6.5 x 106 4.7 0
*Before Chlorination
Fecal Coliform*
Colonies/lO0 ml
3,300
366
<I
1,333
2,000
1,800
1,400
566
1,500
3,000
315
216
Table 2. Pearlington, Mississippi Septic Tank/Rock Plant Marsh Filter.
ARTIFICIAL MARSHES FOR TREATING INDUSTRIAL
WASTEWATER CONTAINING TOXIC CHEMICALS
Chemicals Marsh Plants in
(mglL) Rock Filter Inliuent Effluent"
Trichloroethylene
Benzene
Toluene
Chlorobenzene
Phenol
P-xylene
Pentachlorophenol (PCP)
Potassium cyanide
Potassium ferric cyanide
*24,hour relentlon lime
Torpedo grass 3.60 0.0009
Soulhern bulrush 9.90 0.05
Torpedo grass 7.04 1.52
Southern bulrush 12.00 5.10
Reed 9.33 0.05
Torpedo grass 5.62 1.37
Southern bulrush 11.47 4.50
Reed 6.60 0.005
Torpedo grass 4.85 1.54
Soulhern bulrush 10,65 4.90
Cattail 101,00 17.00
Reed 104.00 7.00
Reed 4.07 0.14
Torpedo grass 0.85 0.04
Torpedo grass 3.00 < 0.20
Torpedo grass 12,60 <0.20
Table 3. Artificial marshes for treating industrial waste-water containing toxic chemicals.
63
ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOMES WITH BIOREGENERATIVE
LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEMS
ROTFERS
PROTOZOA FEEDING ON
VIRUSES AND BACTERIA
BACTERIA
Figure 3. Energy-efficient homes with bioregenerative life-support systems.
and may pose serious acute and chronic health
risks. The EPA studies also state that the potential
economic impact of indoor air pollution is estimated
to be in the tens of billions of dollars per year.
To enhance the efficiency of common
houseplants and potting soil in removing indoor air
pollutants, I recently developed a high efficiency
plant filter system combining activated carbon and
other adsorbent materials into a unique filter sys-
tem. This patent pending system utilizes a fan to
rapidly move polluted air through a mixed bed filter
containing a combination of the most effective ad-
sorbent materials in a hydroponic plant growth
chamber. The hydroponic reservoir continuously
supplies moisture to the plant root zone to prevent
the roots from being damaged during continuous
operation of the exhaust fan which moves air
through the plant root adsorbent mixture bed. One
of the unique components of this process is the
utilization of plant roots and microorganisms to
continuously clean and bioregenerate the adsor-
bent bed filter.
The obvious next step in development of plant
and microbial filter biotechnology is to incorporate
the complex wastewater treatment/indoor air puri-
fication concept into a real home environment. This
I have recently accomplished in my own home.
Although it took some time to convince my wife to
allow me to flush raw sewage into a planter system
in her house, she reluctantly allowed me to install
such a wastewater treatment/indoor air purification
system (Figure 3). Now we have a lovely Florida
room filled with beautiful houseplants that purify the
air while feeding off the wastewater.
64
With this accomplished, I am now feverishly
attacking the air emission problems from smoke-
stacks, incinerators, etc. This is the final part of the
puzzle to be completed using green plants and
microorganisms for solving Earth's water and air
pollution problems. The approach to solving the
point source air emission problem is to convert the
air pollutants into water pollution and purify the
polluted waters using aquatic plant microbial
marsh filters.
Since conventional technology has failed to
solve the Earth's environmental pollution prob-
lems, the most promising option left to man, in my
opinion, is to harness the power of nature by using
plants and their associated microorganisms to
undo man's damage.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The one person in NASA that supported this effort
over the years is Ray Gilbert at NASA's Office of
Technology Utilization in Washington, D.C. He be-
lieved in this research and supported it with contin-
uous funding. I would like to take this opportunity
to personally thank Ray for his support.
REFERENCES
1. Gillette, Becky. 1989. "Artificial Marsh Treats
Industrial Wastewater." Biocycle. Vol. 30, No.2,
pp. 48-50.
2. Marinelli, Janet. 1990. "After The Flush: The Next
Generation." Garbage. Vol. II, No. 1, pp. 24-35.
3. Wolverton, B.C. 1988. "Aquatic Plants For
Wastewater Treatment." The World & I. pp. 382-
387, December, 1988.
4. Wolverton, B.C. 1989. "Aquatic Plant/Microbial
Filters For Treating Septic Tank Effluent," in Con-
structed Wetlands For Wastewater Treatment,
D.A. Hammer, Ed. (Lewis Publishers, Inc.,
Chelsa, MI), pp. 173-178.
5. Wolverton, B.C., R.C. McDonald, C.C. Myrick,
and K.M. Johnson, "Upgrading Septic Tanks
Using Microbial/Plant Filters," J. MS Acad. Sci.
29:19-25 (1984).
6. Wolverton, B.C. "Hybrid Wastewater Treatment
System Using Anaerobic Microorganisms and
Reed (Phragmites communis)," Econ_ Bot.: _
36(4):373-380 (1982).
7. Wolverton, B.C., R.C. McDonald, and W.R Duf-
fer. "Micro- organisms and Higher Plants for
Wastewater Treatment," J. Environ. Qual.
12(2):236-242 (1983).
8. Wolverton, B.C. "Artificial Marshes for Wastewa-
ter Treatment," in Aquatic Plants for Wastewater
Treatment and Resource Recovery, K.R. Reddy
and W.H. Smith, Eds. (Orlando, FL: Magnolia
Publishing, Inc., 1987), pp. 141-152.
9. Wolverton, B.C. "Natural Systems for Wastewa-
ter Treatment and Water Reuse for Space and
Earthly Applications," In Proceedings of Ameri-
can Water Works Association Research Founda-
tion, Water Reuse Symposium IV (Denver,
CO:1987), pp 729-741.
10. Wolverton, B.C. "Aquatic Plants for Wastewater
Treatment: An Overview," in Aquatic Plants for
Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery,
K.R. Reddy and W.H. Smith, Eds. (Orlando, FL:
Magnolia Publishing, Inc., 1987), pp. 3-15.
11. Wolverton, B.C., and R.C. McDonald. "Natural
Processes for Treatment of Organic Chemical
Waste," Environ. Prof. 3:99-104 (1981).
12. Wolverton, B.C., and R.C. McDonald-McCaleb,
"Biotransformation of Priority Pollutants Using
Biofilms and Vascular Plants," J. MS Acad. Sci.
31:79-89 (1986).
65


Plants and their microbial assistants: Nature's answer to Earth's environmental pollution problems

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