Abstract:
Phytoremediation of heavy metals namely: Cadniium, Copper and Lead from
aqueous medium by water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes(Mart) solms) was examined by
growing the plants in aqueous media polluted with trace metals. The plants were
harvested after 2 days of growth from three replicate treatments and an untreated control.
The water hyacinth samples were separated into stems and leaves, air-dried, pulverised,
digested and analysed for trace metals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer.
There was a appreciable accumulation of the three ions in the plant under study.
The Cu2
+ that accumulated in the leaves amounted to 1.89mg/kg relative to 1.06mg/kg in
the stem, with accumulation factors of 0.189 and 0.106. Similarly, the quantity of
Pb2
+ accumulated in leaves of E.crassipes was 2.25mg/kg with accumulation factor 0.225
while 2.6mglkg with was found in the stem tissues with accumulation factor of 0.260. In
the same vein, 0.61mg/kg of Cd II ions was accumulated in the leaves relative to
0.99mg/kg in the stem respectively with accumulation factor of 0.061 and 0.099.
The study reveals that the effective remediating heavy metals Cu, Pb and Cd from
aqueous medium using E.crassipes as a phytoremediator were in the order Pb > Cu > Cd.
These results indicate that E.crassipes plant can be considered as possible
phytoremediator of heavy metals to treats polluted water contaminated with cadmium,
copper and lead.
IV
