Phytoremediation of Copper in Mineral, Distilled and Surface Water using Limnocharis Flava plant

Abstract

Abstract Phytoremediation provides a low cost and sustainable remediation to eliminate the contaminants in water particularly heavy metals. Some plants have the ability to absorb certain metals while some plants do not. This research investigates the potential of different green plants to absorb copper (Cu) in three types of water; distilled, mineral and surface water. A green plant scientifically named as Limnocharis Flava plant were found to be effective in absorbing the Cu contaminants. The rate of absorption of Cu for different plants and water types were determined and monitored in fume cupboard equipped with tungsten bulb under controlled environment; light intensity, humidity, temperature and concentration of CuSO4. In just 5 days of experiment, the highest rate of absorption of Cu was observed in distilled water where the efficiency was 39.9%. Meanwhile, the absorption efficiency of copper in surface water and mineral water samples were 31.5% and 23.6% respectively. The absorption of Cu in different types of water fitted the 1st order, Rate Law model with >90% coefficient of determination. Other plant named Hydrilla Verticillata were studied using the same metal contaminant and conditions resulted with no observable Cu absorption. The concentration of Cu in the water samples throughout the research were analyzed at 324.8 nm wavelength using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS).