Assessment of the phytoremediative potential of narrow-leaf cattail (Typha angustifolia L.) in the removal of lead from hydroponic systems

Date

4-2014

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Norma N. Fajardo

Restrictions

Restricted: Not available to the general public. Access is available only after consultation with author/thesis adviser and only to those bound by the confidentiality agreement.

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the phytoremediative potential of narrow-leaf cattail (Typha angustifolia L.) in the removal of Pb from hydroponic systems. Preliminary analysis showed that the water in which the plants would be grown contained 0.018 mg Pb/L. The plant sample also contained 1.44 mg Pb/g in the roots and 0.25 mg Pb/g in the aerial parts. In order to determine the concentration of Pb that would be appropriate for the lead absorption experiments, plant samples were immersed in solution of varying Pb concentrations (1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 mg Pb/L) for 48 hours. Maximum Pb absorption was observed with the meduim containing 7 mg Pb/L. No visible detrimental effects in the plant samples were observed. Plant samples were grown in medium containing 25mg Pb/L and were harvested at various time intervals (1, 3, 5,7, and 10 days). Pb that accumulated in the roots and aerial parts of the plants were separately analyzed. The Pb that remained in the growth medium was also determined. Atomic Absorption Spectrocopy (AAS) was used for the analysis. Results showed that the maximum Pb absoprtion occurred after 7 days of exposure. The amount of Pb absorbed measured 10.54 mg Pb/g plant sample. The bioconcentration factor (BCF), an index of the ability of the plant to accumulate the metal and the translocation factor (TF), a measure of the ability of the plant to translocate the metal from the roots to the aerial parts, were also calculated. the values obtained indicate that the plant maybe classified as moderate Pb accumulator. These findings suggest the potential for use of narrow-leaf cattail in phytoremediation technologyof Pb contaminated sites.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2014 C42 /M43

Document Type

Thesis

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS