Biotreatment Of Wastewater Using Aquatic Invertebrates, Daphnia Magna And Paramecium Caudatum

The article, Biotreatment of wastewater using aquatic invertebrates, Daphnia magna and Paramecium caudatum, mainly pertains to the idea of cleaning dirty, polluted water. Every since we, as a society, have switched from an agrarian to an industrial way of life, our waters have become increasingly polluted. Thus, scientists have researched conducted experiments in order to attain clean water. One of the failed attempts of attaining clean water was one in which they tried to use chemicals. Unfortunately, this method could be potentially harmful to our health. So, scientists then realized that they may be able to clean the waters by using many ecological alternatives such as aquatic invertebrates.

The two species used in this experiment are Daphnia magna and Paramecium caudatum. Daphnia magna are most commonly used in aquariums because they are heavy filter feeders and usually eat many organisms that are of appropriate size while Paramecium caudatum are usually found in water containing bacteria or decaying organic, however both thrive in it. Ergo, both of these tiny organisms can be beneficial alternatives towards the cleaning of wastewater.

Previous to performing the experiment the two species were both collected from local ponds. In order to keep the Paramecium alive the scientists had to boil 1 liter of water, put a handful of hay into it, and let it sit for approximately two days. The Daphnia were reared by mixing a solution containing dried sheep manure, garden soil, and 1 liter of pond water. The wastewater was then collected from the sewers in Kozhikode city, Kerala. After the scientists collected the water they took general measurements of the water such as, color, odor, pH levels, etc... Then, various measurements of sewage were mixed with dechlorinated tap water in variants of 5, 10, 15, and 20 milliliters of sewage per liter of tap water. The treatments were then mixed with either Daphnia magna and Paramecium caudatum. The Paramecium caudatum were only mixed with the wastewater for seven days because of their rapid rate of reproduction, and the Daphnia magna were aloud to sit for 15 days because they have a slower rate of reproduction. The scientists also left samples of the wastewater that didn't contain either of the invertebrates.

The results proved that both treatments