Removal of Ag, Au, and As from Acid Mine Water Using Lemna gibba and Lemna minor—A Performance Analysis

Abstract

Mining activities result in the accumulation of pollutants in aquatic environments. This study aimed to investigate the accumulation performances of Ag, Au, and As using Lemna minor and Lemna gibba in the acid mine waters of Maden copper deposit. L. minor and L. gibba are aquatic plants belonging to the duckweed family. They are small, fragile, and free-floating aquatic plants. L. minor and L. gibba were separately placed into two reactors. The plants and water from the reactors were collected daily for eight days. Additionally, the electric conductivity, temperature, and pH of the acid mine water were measured daily. L. minor and L. gibba samples were washed, dried, and burned at 300 °C in a drying oven for 24 h. The water and plant samples were analyzed for Ag, Au, and As content using ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy). The acid mine waters of Maden copper deposit contained 9.25 ± 0.4, 0.92 ± 0.02, and 193 ± 12 μg L−1, Ag, Au, and As, respectively. In comparison to control samples, L. gibba and L. minor showed high and effective performances in removing Ag, Au and As from the acid mine waters of Maden copper deposit; 240 and 174 times for Ag; 336 and 394 times for Au; and 30 and 907 times for As, respectively. Overall, the results suggest that L. gibba and L. minor can effectively remove Ag, Au, and As from acid mine waters, highlighting their potential use in environmental remediation.