Pilot Study on Phytoremediation of Contaminated Soils with Different Plant Species

Soil contamination due to industrial and anthropogenic activities results in the transformation of fertile land into futile. Hence remediation of the soil is required. To surmount the difficulties associated with some of the earlier soil remediation methods, an environmentally friendly technique called phytoremediation is currently being employed to restore the potency of the soil. The plants like Helianthus annuus have shown good potential for extracting heavy metals from the soil. But still many species are not yet tested for their potential to extract the heavy metal contaminants from the soil. Hence, plant species like Macrotyloma uniflorum and Vigna radiate along with an already known plant, Helianthus annuus, were tested for their potential to extract the metal contaminants from the soil. The contaminated soil, containing heavy metals like chromium, cadmium, and lead, was prepared in the laboratory. Plants were grown in the contaminated and controlled soil pots for 28 days, and soil samples were collected every week from each pot. Significant phytoremediation was observed with all three selected plant species. Among the three plants, Helianthus annuus showed the maximum remediation of all three contaminated metals (Cr 74%, Cd 42.2%, and Pb 62%), whereas Macrotyloma uniflorum and Vigna radiata remediated chromium to the maximum extent and the other two heavy metals to a lesser extent. Macrotyloma uniflorum remediated Cr, Cd, and Pb to the extent of 72%, 27.81%, and 37.39%, respectively. Vigna radiata remediated Cr, Cd, and Pb to the extent of 72.54%, 27.66%, and 47.43%, respectively. From this study, it is very clear that all three plants can be used effectively for phytoremediation of contaminated soils in a short duration.