Abstract
This study was aimed to investigate the ability of N.oleander to remove Cadmium (Cd) from wastewater. A prolonged toxicity test was performed in a single exposure and run for 65 days with various concentrations of Cd. Plants were grown in sand medium and irrigated with simulated wastewater contaminated with Cd, using different concentrations (0, 10, 25, 50, 75 mg/L), which were chosen based on previous preliminary test. The results of physical observation of the plants didn’t show any withering symptoms. The Cd concentration in plants increased, while in water decreased. The results of plant analysis showed that Cd concentration in plant shoots (stems and leaves) was higher than that in roots for almost all exposure doses along the test duration. The concentration of Cd in water decreased significantly from the first week of the test and become (0 mg/l) on day-35 for 10 and 25 mg/l exposure doses, while exceeded the permissible limits for 50 and 75 mg/l exposure doses and were 0.14 and 0.91 mg/l, respectively. Wet weight and dry weight of Oleander decreased with increasing Cd concentration level except for 10 mg/l exposure dose where the plant wet weight and dry weight increased at the end of the test. Bioaccumulation factor (BAF) and Translocation Factor (TF) was found to be greater than 1, indicating that Oleander is a successful hyperaccumulator for Cd.
Highlights
Environmental pollution by heavy metals (HM) is considered a global concern due to their persistence and non-biodegradable nature, causing serious effects on water, soil and associated implications to human health and living organisms [1]
The efficiency of plants used to uptake and accumulate heavy metals in plant tissue as a hyperaccumulator can be estimated through the values of (BAF) and (TF)
The sand used in this experiment has a loamy sand texture and contains 31% CaCO3, 17% CaSO4, 0.8% organic matter, and pH value of 7.3. the weight of the sand used in each aquarium is 12 kg
Summary
Environmental pollution by heavy metals (HM) is considered a global concern due to their persistence and non-biodegradable nature, causing serious effects on water, soil and associated implications to human health and living organisms [1]. Oleander used in this study is an evergreen, terrestrial plant that has an aesthetic value, and can endure various environmental conditions and known to grow well in the region. These plants are not edible, reducing the risk of contaminants entering the food chain. Plant selectionOlea nder is fast growing, has high biomass, long hairy roots, withstands temperature variation and transplanted into most soils. These plants were purchased from a nursery with an average height of 25m and of the same age where they are usually propagated by stem cuttings. The Cd levels in sand and plants were examined by AAS
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