Comparative Studies of the Phytoextraction Capacity of Five Aquatic Plants in Heavy Metal Contaminated Water

• Main Authors: Erzsébet BUTA, Anamária TÖRÖK, Bilassé ZONGO, Maria CANTOR, Mihai BUTA, Cornelia MAJDIK
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AcademicPres 2014-06-01
• Series: Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca
• Online Access: http://www.notulaebotanicae.ro/index.php/nbha/article/view/9341
• ISSN: 0255-965X; 1842-4309

The uptake capacity of the aquatic plants (<i>Salvinia natans </i> Kunth., <i>Eichhornia crassipes </i>Mart., <i>Lemna minor </i>L., <i>Elodea canadensis </i>Michx., <i>Pistia stratiotes </i>L.) was analyzed in phytoextraction of Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Cd²⁺.<b> </b>It was attend to study the plants capacity comparatively using mono and multimetallic systems. In particular, the chlorophyll, protein and carotenoids contents were studied during heavy metals uptake, in order to observe the stress effect on plants. The results obtained for the monometallic system showed that <i>Salvinia natans </i>Kunth.<i> </i> accumulated the highest quantity of Cu²⁺ (4.72 mg/g), Zn²⁺ (2.23 mg/g) and Cd²⁺ (1.90 mg/g). The leaves of <i>Lemna minor </i>L. accumulated the highest concentration of Cu²⁺ (10.80 mg/g) and Cd²⁺ (2.78 mg/g) in multimetallic system. The water lettuce (<i>Pistia stratiotes </i>L.)<i> </i>translocated the highest quantity of Zn²⁺ in its roots (4.80 mg/g). The chlorophyll and the carotenoids levels decreased under the stress of heavy metals in both systems, while protein content increased under the influence of Cu²⁺<b> </b>and Cd²⁺, but decreased for Zn²⁺. &nbsp;The studied hydrophytes proved to be useful in the uptake of heavy metals in monometallic system and much more effective in the multimetallic system and showed great potential for further applications in the industrial and commercial wastewater treatments.