@article{León_Pernía Santos_Siguencia_Franco_Noboa_Cornejo_2018, title={Potential of aquatic plants for the removal total coliforms and Escherichia coli in wastewaters}, volume={9}, url={https://ingenieria.ute.edu.ec/enfoqueute/index.php/revista/article/view/286}, DOI={10.29019/enfoqueute.v9n4.286}, abstractNote={<p>In Ecuador, many communities depend on untreated surface water as the primary source of drinking water and are contaminated with fecal coliforms and <em>Escherichia coli</em>. The objective of the present study was to find aquatic plants with remove of contaminated water with <em>E. coli </em>and total coliforms. For this purpose, the following species were sampled: <em>Azolla caroliniana</em> Willd., <em>Eichhornia crassipes</em>, <em>Pistia stratiotes</em>, <em>Salvinia auriculata</em>, <em>Ceratopteris thalictroides a</em>nd <em>Lemna sp</em>. (Positive control). The plants were reproduced <em>in vitro</em> and bioassays were performed to verify their ability to remove <em>E. coli</em>. Assays were run by triplicate in 0.5 L of water with fertilizer and an <em>E. coli</em> ATCC25922 reference strain was inoculated. As negative control the bacteria without plants and positive control were inoculated with the plant <em>L. minor</em>. After 7 days, the remaining bacterial load was determined. To analyze <em>E. coli</em>, the technique ISO 9308-1 was used. A percentage of 99% <em>E. coli</em> removal was found for <em>A. caroliniana</em>, <em>E. crassipes, C. thalictroides </em>(L.)<em> Brongn</em> and <em>Lemna minor</em>. And 100% for <em>P. stratiotes</em> and <em>S. auriculata</em>. Subsequent waste water tests were performed in which <em>S. auriculate </em>and<em> A. caroliniana</em> achieved 100% removal of the coliforms and the remaining lower efficiency. The use of these species is proposed for the treatment of wastewaters.</p>}, number={4}, journal={Enfoque UTE}, author={León, R and Pernía Santos, Beatriz Margarita and Siguencia, Rosa and Franco, S and Noboa, A and Cornejo, Xavier}, year={2018}, month={Dec.}, pages={pp. 131 - 144} }