Artikel,
Effect of pH changes on the growth of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms.) in acid mine drainage
Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES), Vol. 6 (No. 5): p. 65-73 (Mai 2015)
Zusammenfassung
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is waste water formed through a series of chemical reactions and biological activity. AMD has a pH of 3.0 and limited nutrients content. Therefore, before being released into the environment, it requires pH modification to deserve for growing of aquatic plants. This study aimed to determine the effect of pH on the growth of water hyacinth. AMD was collected from coal mining in Tanah Laut, South Kalimantan and limestone was taken from District of Tarjun, Pulau Laut. The 10 L of AMD add with limestone: 50 g, 100 g, and 150 g left for 3 days and pH turned into 4.01 (A1); 4.36 (A2); and 4.87 (A3), with 3 replications. Measured parameters were AMD pH changes and growth of water hyacinth (total weight, root length, and diameter of leaf), every 3 days after growth. The results showed that pH changes significantly affect the growth of total weight (R = 0.909), root length (R = 0.901), and diameter of leaf (R = 0.918) of the water hyacinth. The highest growth in total weight and root length occurred in the day 9, pH increased from 5.64 to 5.91, and the diameter of leaves on the plant occurred in the day 12 and a pH of 5.28 to 5.48. The reduced rate of growth of water hyacinth at a pH closer to neutral state can be due to the reduced availability of nutrients, as AMD containing low nutrients.
