Model of COD and PO₄ Reduction in Bima Bay Wastewater Using Innovations of Ipomoea aquatica, Pistia stratiotes, Eichhornia crassipes with EM4 as a Bioremediator

¹ Department of Public Health, State University of Malang, Malang, East Java, Indonesia
² Mechanichal Engineering Departement, State University of Malang, Malang East Java, Indonesia
³ Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
⁴ Regional Research and Innovation Agency of Bima City, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
⁵ Health Office of Bima Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
⁶ Social Security Agency on Health, Malang, East Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: muhammad.irsyad.fik@um.ac.id

Abstract

Water pollution remains a critical environmental issue in Indonesia, particularly exemplified by the algae bloom phenomenon in Bima Bay. As a potential solution, it is necessary to treat the water with phytoremediation, which involves the use of a combination of various aquatic plants. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Ipomoea aquatica, Pistia stratiotes, and Eichhornia crassipes, along with Effective Microorganism 4 (EM4) as a bioremediator, in reducing pollutants in Bima Bay. This study adopts a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group design. Results show that the initial Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in the river water was 539.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L), while the phosphate (PO₄) concentration was 0.16 mg/L. Phytoremediation using the Ipomoea aquatica (water spinach), Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce), and Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) plants has demonstrated the effective reduction of river water COD level by 5.3 mg/L to 95.5 mg/L. However, the method proved ineffective in reducing river water PO₄ level, with an increase of 0.03 mg/L to 0.32 mg/L. The Kruskal-Wallis test yielded statistically significant results, indicating notable differences in COD and PO₄ levels in river water across various measurement periods within each treatment group. The findings indicate that phytoremediation using Ipomoea aquatica, Pistia stratiotes, and Eichhornia crassipes with EM4 as a bioremediator is an effective approach for reducing COD levels in river water. However, this method proved less effective in reducing PO₄ levels, which may continue to pose challenges in addressing water pollution in Bima Bay.