The capacity of duckweed to treat wastewater: ecological considerations for a sound design.

Duckweed species are promising macrophytes for use in sustainable wastewater treatment due to their rapid growth, ease of harvest, and feed potential as a protein source. This paper reviews growth rates of different duckweed species on wastewater and ammonia toxicity to duckweed and summarizes insights into the mechanism of organic matter and nutrient removal. Results were gained from laboratory experiments in small, shallow, duckweed-covered semicontinuous batch systems.