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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/ETERM/27
Phytoremediation of cadmium from wastewater using water hyacinth plant

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Bushra Bashir* , Iftikhar Ahmad , Ghulam Mustafa Shah , Muhammad Shahid , Muhammad
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Farhan Saeed
1 Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus,
Punjab, 61100, Pakistan
Correspondence: bushrabashir0033@gmail.com
Abstract
Water is very crucial to sustain life on the earth. The water quality is being degraded due to
disposal of the municipal and industrial effluents without prior treatment into the water bodies.
The concentration of heavy metals especially cadmium (Cd) in the wastewater is increasing
day by day due to various natural and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, this study
investigated the potential of water hyacinth (Eichhorniacrassipes) for the remediation of Cd in
wastewater. The objectives of this study were i) to determine the effect of freshwater (FW) to
wastewater (WW) ratio on growth of water hyacinth, ii) to evaluate the phytoremediation
potential of water hyacinth for Cd removal in WW to FW ratio.Plastic pots were used to grow
water hyacinth in WW to FW ratios. The suckers of same size were collected from freshwater
bodies and transplanted in pots for 30 days. The treatments were comprised of WW to FW ratio
T1: 100% FW (Control); T2: 80% FW + 20% WW; T3: 60% FW + 40% WW; T4: 40% FW +
60% WW; T5: 20% FW + 80% WW T6: 100% WW; T7: 100% FW + Cd@ 2mg/L(Control);
T8: 80% FW + 20% WW + Cd @ 2mg/L; T9: 60% FW + 40% WW + Cd @ 2mg/L; T10: 40%
FW + 60% WW + Cd @ 2mg/L; T11: 20% FW + 80% WW + Cd @ 2mg/L; T12: 100% WW
+ Cd @ 2mg/L. Wastewater and freshwater samples showed physico-chemical and heavy metal
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contamination, however, only Cd, Cl and Na contents were higher than permissible limits.
Chlorophyll contents of E. crassipes were lower in treatments carried Cd @ 2mg/L. Root and
shoot Cd conetnts were higher in T11 (20% FW + 80% WW + Cd @ 2mg/L) whereas Cd
contents in water and sediment was higher in T12 and T1, respectively. E. crassipes showed
BAF in root (2.4 in T6 & T7) and shoot (2.1 in T6 & T7) is indicating potential accumulation
of Cd in root and shoot. FW sediments act as a good sink for Cd in addition to root and shoot,
however, less Cd content in sediments at (T12) indicating inhibition of plant growth which
restrict Cd bio-accumulation in E. crassipes. This study concluded that WW to FW ratio had
significant effect on Cd concentration and bio-accumulation in E. crassipes; however, further
studies warrant application of this plant at pilot scale metal phytoremediation.
Keywords: Water hyacinth (Eichhorniacrassipes); Phytoremediation; Cadmium removal;
Bioaccumulation factor (BAF)

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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