The phytoextraction potential of water hyacinth (Eichchornia crassipes): removal of selenium and copper

Abstract

The phytoextraction potential of water hyacinth (Eichchornia crassipes) was assessed for the removal of selenium and copper individually and from binary solutions. Plant growth, estimated on day 16 of metal treatment, decreased at all concentrations of selenium (2–12 ppm), whereas it increased at lower concentrations of copper (4–12 ppm) and decreased at higher exposure levels. Unlike copper, the rate constant for selenium uptake and its accumulation factors, calculated for both root and shoot, were lower in a binary solution than in the corresponding single-metal solution. Analysis of the elemental composition of the plant revealed that in single-metal copper treatment, the level of Mg decreased with a higher magnitude, followed by K and Ca. However, in the case of selenium, the Ca level increased, Mg remained unaffected and the K level decreased with increasing exposure. Our results revealed that a water hyacinth-based system could successfully remove selenium and copper from water/wastewater.

Keywords:

• water hyacinth
• accumulation factor
• phytoremediation
• selenium and copper

Acknowledgements

Research facilities by G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar and financial assistance from Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Government of India, in the form of the research project, are deeply acknowledged.