Ecological aspects of heavy metals accumulation in higher aquatic plants in the process of phytoremediation

Abstract

This paper deals with pollution of natural and waste waters with heavy metals in the conditions of technogenic impact. It describes one of the numerous methods for neutralizing various contaminants in the aquatic environment, in particular phytoremediation, which has been used for more than 50 years in various countries. The paper considers the role of higher aquatic plants which, according to a variety of confirmatory studies, can be used to extract toxic components from natural and waste water heavy metal ions. The authors consider a possibility of inorganic origin pollutants extraction with the help of higher water plants of Myriophyllum verticillatum L. and Elodea canadensis Michx. in laboratory conditions. The authors determined pollutants concentration change dependence in the solution with a process duration of less than 10 hours. The authors proved that the maximum purification efficiency is achieved only with the combined use of higher aquatic plants and perfetron. The results of the studies indicate a possibility of water purification from heavy metal ions (ferric iron, bivalent copper, bichromate ions) with the help of higher water plants Myriophyllum verticillatum L. and Elodea canadensis Michx.