ABS was the first surfactant used in detergent formulations, but because its molecular structure is branched, it is difficult to decompose biologically, making ABS a toxic compound for the environment. This study aims to remove MBAS surfactant, using a combination of phytoremediation and filtration methods to remove surfactant (MBAS) Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) from detergent wastewater by optimizing operating factors such as pH, contact time, plant type, and filter media. Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) were selected as plant species and silica-activated carbon was used as filter media. Water lettuce and hyacinth were grown in a 10-liter reactor with detergent wastewater samples for 6 and 12 days. Filter media are placed in the reactor in use, and aeration is done. The efficiency for reducing COD was 81.73%, and the efficiency for surfactant was 99.42% for each experiment, which was thought to be because of plant adsorption and filtering processes. The water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) plant had the maximum adsorption capability for all the qualities evaluated, with a surfactant content in the roots of 27543.24 (mg/kg MBAS), compared to the water hyacinth plant, which only absorbed 2597.95 (mg/kg MBAS).

It is extremely difficult to clean up accidental oil spills in water since conventional oil sorbents absorb much more water in addition to the oil. Alternatively, cleanup techniques might lead to secondary contamination. This study examines and measures the oil absorption capacities of two hydrophobic natural fibers: water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). At the laboratory scale, the absorption of engine oil, vegetable oil, and diesel oils onto various dry biomass materials, including water hyacinth and lotus with different particle sizes (BSS-44, BSS-60, BSS-100, BSS-120, BSS-160, and BSS-200), was investigated. Water hyacinth shows a higher absorption efficiency for all samples as compared to the lotus.