Employing Phytoremediation Methods to Extract Heavy Metals from Polluted Soils

The phytoremediation technique has become very efficient for treating soil contaminated with heavy metals. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted where the Dodonaea plant (known as hops) was grown, and soil previously contaminated with metals (Zn, Ni, Cd) was added at concentrations 100, 50, 0 mg·kg-1 for Ni and Zn, and at concentrations of 0, 5, 10 mg·kg-1 for cadmium. Irrigation was done within the limits of the field capacity of the soil. Cadmium, nickel and zinc was estimated in the soil to find out the capacity of plants to the absorption of heavy and contaminated metals by using bioconcentration factors (BCFs), bioaccumulation coefficient (BAC) and translocation factor (TF). Additionally, BCF values of both Ni and Zn were less than one i.e. Dodonaea hazing moderate bioaccumulation properties based on heavy metals. As for BCF values of Cd, they have by passed, i.e. Dodonaea has the ability to the absorption of cadmium sulfate in the root system. Regarding the bioaccumulation coefficient (BAC) values for Cd, Ni, and Zn, it was found that they were generally below one, indicating that Dodonaea exhibits moderate capabilities for bioaccumulating these heavy metals. Therefore, Dodonaea plant is useful in treating heavy metals. Highlighting a pioneering approach, this study introduces a novel method that significantly advances the understanding of phytoremediation’s role in reducing pollution caused by various industries working on the soil, specifically through the use of Dodonaea in the T3 treatment group, which showed remarkable efficacy on metal-contaminated soil.