Abstract
Effluents from petroleum refineries contain a diverse range of pollutants including heavy metals. They also contain oil and grease, phenols, sulphides, dissolved solids, suspended solids and BOD-bearing materials. An overview of heavy metal removal from industrial effluents with emphasis on biological methods is given. Results of studies to remove heavy metals in effluents from a petroleum refinery by water hyacinth were presented. Limited success has been demonstrated for the case of iron and zinc, but further work needs to be done. There is a need to strike the right balance between the possible amount of uptake of heavy metal ions and the tendency to suffocate the ecosystem through the depletion and reduction of light and dissolved oxygen. Similarly there is a need for better understanding of the process of enhancement of the capability the water hyacinth to uptake heavy metal ions before the on-set of toxic accumulation.
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