title: Heavy metal pollution induced due to coal mining effluent on surrounding aquatic ecosystem and its management through naturally occurring aquatic macrophytes.
abstract: Three aquatic plants Eichhornia crassipes, Lemna minor and Spirodela polyrhhiza were used in laboratory for the removal of heavy metals from the coal mining effluent. Plants were grown singly as well as in combination during 21 days phytoremediation experiment. Results revealed that combination of E. crassipes and L. minor was the most efficient for the removal of heavy metals while E. crassipes was the most efficient in monoculture. Significant correlations between metal concentration in final water and macrophytes were obtained. Translocation factor i.e. ratio of shoot to root metal concentration revealed that metals were largely retained in the roots of aquatic macrophytes. Analytical results showed that plant roots have accumulated heavy metals approximately 10 times of its initial concentration. These plants were also subjected to toxicity assessment and no symptom of metal toxicity was found therefore, this method can be applied on the large scale treatment of waste water where volumes generated are very high and concentrations of pollutants are low.
authors.affiliation: Pollution Ecology Research Laboratory, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India. virendra78@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: Virendra Kumar
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Alka Rani
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Upadhyaya
authors.forename: Sudhir Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Tripathi
mesh_terms: D029064:Araceae / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003032:Coal Mining; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D017753:Ecosystem; D031806:Eichhornia / Q000378:metabolism*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000032:analysis; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical