article · International Journal of Phytoremediation
Nine native plant species growing at a sewage sludge dump site were evaluated for their capacity to absorb and clean up nine heavy metals from contaminated soil. Plants collected from the dump site contained multifold higher metal concentrations than those from an uncontaminated reference site. All nine species exhibited a bioaccumulation factor greater than one for certain metals, with cadmium showing the highest accumulation, followed by lead and cobalt. While translocation factors to above-ground tissues were generally below one, metal levels in plant tissues mostly correlated positively with soil contamination. These native plants can serve as biomonitors and bioindicators of soil pollution. Furthermore, specific species were identified as hyperaccumulators: Bassia indica, Solanum nigrum, and Pluchea dioscoridis for iron; Amaranthus viridis and Bassia indica for lead; and Portulaca oleracea for manganese.
Sewage sludge dumps often cause severe heavy metal contamination in surrounding soils, threatening ecosystems and human health. Identifying native plants that naturally survive in and extract toxic metals from these environments provides an accessible, sustainable method for monitoring pollution levels. It also helps pinpoint suitable plant candidates for environmental remediation programmes aimed at cleaning up heavily polluted industrial and municipal waste sites.
This early-stage research identifies native plant species that could be applied in phytoremediation and biomonitoring programmes for heavy metal contamination. Environmental remediation companies, municipal waste managers, and environmental monitoring agencies could use these specific hyperaccumulating plants to assess and remediate sewage sludge sites. Because the findings are based on observational field sampling, further testing and field trials would be required before establishing operational remediation protocols.
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In the present study, nine native plant species were collected to determine their potential to clean up nine heavy metals from soil of a sewage sludge dump site. Almost all nine plant species grown at sewage sludge dump site showed multifold higher concentrations of heavy metals as compared to plants grown at the reference site. All the investigated species were characterized by a bioaccumulation factor (BF) > 1.0 for some heavy metals. BF was generally higher for Cd, followed by Pb, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Mn, Zn, and Fe. The translocation factor (TF) varied among plant species, and among heavy metals. For most studied heavy metals, TFs were <1.0. The present study proved that the concentrations of all heavy metals (except Cd, Co, and Pb) in most studied species were positively correlated with those in soil. Such correlations indicate that these species reflect the cumulative effects of environmental pollution from soil, and thereby suggesting their potential use in the biomonitoring of most heavy metals examined. In conclusion, all tissues of nine plant species could act as bioindicators, biomonitors, and remediates of most examined heavy metals. Moreover, Bassia indica, Solanum nigrum, and Pluchea dioscoridis are considered hyperaccumulators of Fe; Amaranthus viridis and Bassia indica are considered hyperaccumulators of Pb; and Portulaca oleracea is considered hyperaccumulator of Mn.
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DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2016.1183578
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