Evaluation of phytoremediation in removing Pb, Cd and Zn from contaminated soil using Ipomoea aquatica and Spinacia Oleracea

Abstract

Phytoremediation is an innovative and profound method to clean heavy metals which have been released by human activities into the environment and where the metals had persisted over many years. Phytoremediation employed plants to remove the heavy metals. The aim of this study is to compare Ipomoea Aquatica and Spinacia Oleracea in effectiveness of phytoreduction capability and translocation capability in responds to lead, cadmium and zinc in synthetic soil within 35 days. The synthetic soil was prepared to contain 66 mg/kg of Pb, 30 mg/kg of Cd and 66 mg/kg of Zn. I. Aquatica has shown higher removal percentage of the Pb, Cd and Zn than S. Oleracea which are 27.7 % of Pb, 29.0 % of Cd and 32.8 % of Zn. The translocation factor (TF) of the root to shoot shown by I. Aquatica is 1.05 and it is higher than S. Oleracea, which is 0.79. Besides that, I. Aquatic has shown a higher combined bioaccumulation factor (BAC) of 0.78 while S. Oleracea has a combined BAC of 0.68. These results had shown that I. Aquatica is more effective plant for phytoremediation. Furthermore, kinetic evaluation also shows that heavy metals treated with I. Aquatica has shorter half-life compared to S. Oleracea which is 76 days.