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Reuse of hydroponic waste solution

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Abstract

Attaining sustainable agriculture is a key goal in many parts of the world. The increased environmental awareness and the ongoing attempts to execute agricultural practices that are economically feasible and environmentally safe promote the use of hydroponic cultivation. Hydroponics is a technology for growing plants in nutrient solutions with or without the use of artificial medium to provide mechanical support. Major problems for hydroponic cultivation are higher operational cost and the causing of pollution due to discharge of waste nutrient solution. The nutrient effluent released into the environment can have negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystems as well as the potential to contaminate the groundwater utilized by humans for drinking purposes. The reuse of non-recycled, nutrient-rich hydroponic waste solution for growing plants in greenhouses is the possible way to control environmental pollution. Many researchers have successfully grown several plant species in hydroponic waste solution with high yield. Hence, this review addresses the problems associated with the release of hydroponic waste solution into the environment and possible reuse of hydroponic waste solution as an alternative resource for agriculture development and to control environmental pollution.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by “Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science & Technology Development” Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea (Project No.: PJ008396).

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  1. Department of Bioenvironmental Chemistry, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, 561-756, Republic of Korea

    Ramasamy Rajesh Kumar & Jae Young Cho

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  1. Ramasamy Rajesh Kumar
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  2. Jae Young Cho
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Correspondence to Jae Young Cho.

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Kumar, R.R., Cho, J.Y. Reuse of hydroponic waste solution. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 9569–9577 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3024-3

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