Date of Completion

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science

Keywords

Ipomoea aquatica, biofiltering, Escherichia coli, water treatment, phytoremediation

Abstract

The research entitled “Assessment of the Biofiltering Capacity of Ipomoea aquatica (Kangkong) in Reducing Escherichia coli” sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the plant I. aquatica as a natural biofilter used to minimize E. coli colonies present in contaminated water through a controlled environment biofilter column setup. The study examined the efficiency of bacterial reduction between influent and effluent water samples and investigated the distribution of E. coli colonies across the different soil layers in the biofilter column setup, namely the top sediment, bulk soil layer, rhizosphere, and submerged zone. The results of the experimentation showed that biofilter columns containing I. aquatica achieved a significantly higher reduction of E. coli colonies compared to the control groups, with the highest mean reduction observed under the sunlight-exposed condition. Across soil layers, the top sediment demonstrated the highest bacterial interception, followed by the rhizosphere layer, where pathogen degradation was accelerated by microbial interactions. Statistical analyses using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) confirmed that the presence of I. aquatica has affected the bacterial colonies reduction across all soil layers of the biofilter column setup, indicating that both biological and physical mechanisms contributed to the biofiltration process. These findings imply that I. aquatica has significant biofiltering potential for reducing E. coli contamination in water sources, encouraging its use as an economical and environmentally friendly natural water biofilter treatment.

First Advisor

Rolando M. Reyes RMT, MD, MHPED, FPCS, FPSGS, FPALES

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