Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa

<p dir="ltr">Green walls and roofs are sustainable building systems with several benefits. However, the irrigation requirements of these building systems conflict with water sustainability goals in water-scarce places. This study investigates using greywater directly to irrigate orna...

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Main Author: Shaheeda Marakkar Anangadan (19239607) (author)
Other Authors: Snigdhendubala Pradhan (9872262) (author), Jayaprakash Saththasivam (14151669) (author), Gordon McKay (1755814) (author), Hamish Robert Mackey (16931781) (author)
Published: 2024
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author Shaheeda Marakkar Anangadan (19239607)
author2 Snigdhendubala Pradhan (9872262)
Jayaprakash Saththasivam (14151669)
Gordon McKay (1755814)
Hamish Robert Mackey (16931781)
author2_role author
author
author
author
author_facet Shaheeda Marakkar Anangadan (19239607)
Snigdhendubala Pradhan (9872262)
Jayaprakash Saththasivam (14151669)
Gordon McKay (1755814)
Hamish Robert Mackey (16931781)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Shaheeda Marakkar Anangadan (19239607)
Snigdhendubala Pradhan (9872262)
Jayaprakash Saththasivam (14151669)
Gordon McKay (1755814)
Hamish Robert Mackey (16931781)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2024-01-31T09:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.3390/su16031183
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Evaluation_of_Greywater_as_a_Sustainable_Source_of_Irrigation_for_Ornamental_Crops_in_Green_Walls_A_Study_of_Plant_and_Soil_Using_Ruellia_tuberosa/26395591
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Engineering
Environmental engineering
Environmental sciences
Soil sciences
greywater treatment
nature-based system
green wall
plant biomass
water scarcity
sustainability
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p dir="ltr">Green walls and roofs are sustainable building systems with several benefits. However, the irrigation requirements of these building systems conflict with water sustainability goals in water-scarce places. This study investigates using greywater directly to irrigate ornamental species for such situations by examining the effects of freshwater and greywater irrigation on Ruellia tuberosa growth, plant health and soil characteristics. Five replicates for each condition were grown for 91 days. Greywater irrigation led to a 15% higher plant growth height, a 31% higher plant biomass (<i>p </i>= 0.065), and a 71% increase in stem biomass (<i>p</i> < 0.001) compared to freshwater irrigation. However, greywater-irrigated plants had reduced chlorophyll content (10.7%, p < 0.001), and increased leaf chlorosis (<i>p</i> = 0.003), likely caused by stress from laundry and detergent chemicals. Greywater irrigation led to greater mineral content in greywater-irrigated plant biomass and soil for all minerals tested, most notably boron, which was deficient in the soil. Greywater-irrigated soil also had a higher organic content according to FTIR and electron dispersive spectroscopy. Greywater irrigation improved nutritional and soil conditions, including phosphate, which helped Ruellia tuberosa flourish. This study suggests raw greywater can replace freshwater in water-scarce climates for green wall irrigation instead of high-energy onsite greywater treatment systems.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Sustainability<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su16031183" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su16031183</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
id Manara2_45c0be2d0b3b2c89fb6a372f24916b5b
identifier_str_mv 10.3390/su16031183
network_acronym_str Manara2
network_name_str Manara2
oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/26395591
publishDate 2024
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rights_invalid_str_mv CC BY 4.0
spelling Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosaShaheeda Marakkar Anangadan (19239607)Snigdhendubala Pradhan (9872262)Jayaprakash Saththasivam (14151669)Gordon McKay (1755814)Hamish Robert Mackey (16931781)EngineeringEnvironmental engineeringEnvironmental sciencesSoil sciencesgreywater treatmentnature-based systemgreen wallplant biomasswater scarcitysustainability<p dir="ltr">Green walls and roofs are sustainable building systems with several benefits. However, the irrigation requirements of these building systems conflict with water sustainability goals in water-scarce places. This study investigates using greywater directly to irrigate ornamental species for such situations by examining the effects of freshwater and greywater irrigation on Ruellia tuberosa growth, plant health and soil characteristics. Five replicates for each condition were grown for 91 days. Greywater irrigation led to a 15% higher plant growth height, a 31% higher plant biomass (<i>p </i>= 0.065), and a 71% increase in stem biomass (<i>p</i> < 0.001) compared to freshwater irrigation. However, greywater-irrigated plants had reduced chlorophyll content (10.7%, p < 0.001), and increased leaf chlorosis (<i>p</i> = 0.003), likely caused by stress from laundry and detergent chemicals. Greywater irrigation led to greater mineral content in greywater-irrigated plant biomass and soil for all minerals tested, most notably boron, which was deficient in the soil. Greywater-irrigated soil also had a higher organic content according to FTIR and electron dispersive spectroscopy. Greywater irrigation improved nutritional and soil conditions, including phosphate, which helped Ruellia tuberosa flourish. This study suggests raw greywater can replace freshwater in water-scarce climates for green wall irrigation instead of high-energy onsite greywater treatment systems.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Sustainability<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su16031183" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su16031183</a></p>2024-01-31T09:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.3390/su16031183https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Evaluation_of_Greywater_as_a_Sustainable_Source_of_Irrigation_for_Ornamental_Crops_in_Green_Walls_A_Study_of_Plant_and_Soil_Using_Ruellia_tuberosa/26395591CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/263955912024-01-31T09:00:00Z
spellingShingle Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa
Shaheeda Marakkar Anangadan (19239607)
Engineering
Environmental engineering
Environmental sciences
Soil sciences
greywater treatment
nature-based system
green wall
plant biomass
water scarcity
sustainability
status_str publishedVersion
title Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa
title_full Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa
title_fullStr Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa
title_short Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa
title_sort Evaluation of Greywater as a Sustainable Source of Irrigation for Ornamental Crops in Green Walls—A Study of Plant and Soil Using Ruellia tuberosa
topic Engineering
Environmental engineering
Environmental sciences
Soil sciences
greywater treatment
nature-based system
green wall
plant biomass
water scarcity
sustainability