Phytofiltration of Arsenic and Cadmium From the Water Environment Using Micranthemum Umbrosum (J.F. Gmel) S.F. Blake As A Hyperaccumulator

TLDR: In this paper, a seven-day hydroponic experiment, the authors found that Micranthemum umbrosum (J.F. Gmel) S. Blake was an effective accumulator of Cd and a hyper-accumulator of As, as it can lower As toxicity to a level close to the limit recommended by the World Health Organization.

Abstract: Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) pollution in water is an important global issue. Phytofiltration is an eco-friendly technology that helps clean up pollutants using ornamental plants, such as Micranthemum umbrosum (J.F. Gmel) S.F. Blake. After a seven-day hydroponic experiment, M. umbrosum removed 79.3-89.5% As and 60-73.1% Cd from 0 to 1.0 microg As mL(-1) and 0.3 to 30.0 microg Cd mL(-1) solutions, respectively. For As treatment, root to stem and stem to leaf translocation factors greater than 1.0 indicated that accumulation of As in leaves was large compared to that in stem and roots. However, the accumulation of Cd in roots was higher than that in the leaves and stem. In addition, M. umbrosum completely removed Cd within three days from 0.38 to around 0 microg mL(-1) Cd in the solution when the plant was exchanged daily. Bio-concentration factors (2350 for As and 3027 for Cd) for M. umbrosum were higher than for other As and Cd phytoremediators. The results show that M. umbrosum can be an effective accumulator of Cd and a hyper-accumulator of As, as it can lower As toxicity to a level close to the limit recommended by the World Health Organization (0.01 microg As mL(-1)).

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Table 2: BCF values (fresh weight basis), root to stem and stem to leaf TF values, and Cd removal efficiency (%) of M. umbrosum. (n = 3)

Table 1: BCF values (dry weight basis), root to stem and stem to leaf TF values, and As removal efficiency (%) of M. umbrosum. (n = 3)