Dear MS Sarah den Haring,   ...

Dear MS Sarah den Haring,
 
I am a passionate ​believer in ​simple, ​appropriate and ​affordable ​solutions too, even your and my company name AV is equal too ;-)

You may search on the Kenyan coastline in marsh area for this plants and discuss with university experts + local farmers from Kenya about your findings. After that have your own tests.
 
What I know from Indonesia: Vetiver Gras takes salty water and is food for animals too.
 
Nevertheless, using plant roods as biofilm carrier for effluent treatment, I call it a "simple" Mangrove-approach, just "copy/paste" from Mangroves ;-). See important presentation & by us (AV) adapted theoretical concept from Donkins and Mendzil (2014) from Swansea University https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKAVq5Rv1tE and http://www.aqua-verde.de/attachments/Image/ergaenztes-theoretisches-Konzept-schwimmende-PKA-Uebersicht-aerob%2Banaerob-Dodkins-Mendzil_1.jpg?template=generic

summery: just small %-numbers for N & P!!! "up takes" in comparison to large %-changes by Biofilm & settling-periodical desludging.

Kindly see details in above mentoined youtube-presentation by Dr. Donkins. Our (AV) important diffences are: we are not only looking for "easy" stromwater improvements by passive natural biofilm carrier (proprietary & patent driven systems by and for few), we would like to have a very activ "production" of new biofilm and "removal" from biofilm carrier + settling (periodical P-desludging after ~5-8 years), by alternating OLOID's circulations of sewage, in order to create a very active/cheap/"simple" and robust wwtp (active pond system as a “non-proprietary” technology, " Open Source " by and for many).

 

Which kind of floating matts do you use, natural or plastic made in Kenyia?

Viele Grüße

Detlef SCHWAGER
MSc. Tropen-Wasserwirtschafts-Ing.

AquaVerde (AV)