Methodology Summary

The initial collection of water sample for testing will be done with the use of two 1 Liter PET

bottle and will be according to the method provided by WDC. This water sample will be sent to FAST

Laboratories in order to test the amount of concentration of ammonia, nitrate, phosphate and pH. The

results from the laboratory will serve as the initial data for the whole experiment.

The controlled environment setup will comprise of the floater and the tank. The floater which

will support the cattail plant will be built using PVC pipes connected with elbow fittings to form a

rectangular shape. These pipes with entrapped air will ensure that the floater will be stable on the water

surface. The floater will also be utilizing sunshade mesh and chicken wire to hold the soil and the plant.

The plant that will be used in the setup would be juvenile cattail plants collected from a paddy

field in Malolos Bulacan. The acclimation of the plant sample would last for three days before it is placed

in the controlled setup. The cattail plant would serve as the phytoremediator that would absorb the

nutrients in the water.

The controlled environment will be stagnant, therefore the tank that would contain the water

sample and the floater, together with the cattail plant, would be a key element in this experiment. The

tank will be made of a steel drum cut in half in the longitudinal direction and a framing support made of

2inch by 2inch timber to prevent the overturning of the drum. The water sample would also be retrieved

from Estero de San Miguel where the initial water testing was conducted.

To test for the improvement of the water sample and the effectiveness of the cattail plant as a

phytoremediator, the water sample from the controlled environment will be tested once a week in

order to monitor the concentration of ammonia, nitrate, phosphate, and pH.