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Assessment of Typha capensis for the remediation of soil contaminated with As, Hg, Cd and Pb

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Abstract

The use of macrophytes has been identified as one of the eco-friendly means of remediating soils contaminated with heavy metal(loid)s. This study sought to ascertain the synergistic influences of Hg, As, Cd and Pb on the uptake capacity of Typha capensis in remediating soils contaminated with these pollutants. Uptake of Hg, As, Cd and Pb by this aquatic plant species in metal(loid)-contaminated water and soil was studied in batch culture experiment. The plants were irrigated with standard heavy metal(loid)-simulated solutions. After 20, 40 and 60 days, plant samples were subjected to heavy metal(loid) analysis by a Unicam 969 atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). The macrophytes were able to remediate all the four selected heavy metal(loid)s when they either existed as individual or when all the four were in the solution; however, the level of uptake by the plant was inhibited when either two of the heavy metals existed in the solution. Typha capensis performs better in the absorption of mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead in large quantities from polluted water and soil.

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Data availability

All the data obtained are primary and materials used in conducting this research were of high accuracy and are readily available.

Abbreviations

Hg:

mercury

As:

arsenic

Cd:

cadmium

Pb:

lead

ASM:

artisanal small-scale mining

WHO:

World Health Organization

GWCL:

Ghana Water Company Limited

EPA:

Environmental Protection Agency

DNA:

deoxyribonucleic acid

HIV/AIDS:

human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

AID:

Appraisal and Implementation Document

TF:

translocation factor

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Funding

This study was funded by the Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kumasi (RWESCK) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi with funding from Ghana Government and the World Bank under the Africa Centre’s of Excellence project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kumasi, Ghana

    Samuel Wiafe

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana

    Richard Buamah & Helen Essandoh

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana

    Lawrence Darkwah

Authors
  1. Samuel Wiafe
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  2. Richard Buamah
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  3. Helen Essandoh
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  4. Lawrence Darkwah
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Contributions

Samuel Wiafe and Richard Buamah - carried out the laboratory and field work. Helen Essandoh and Lawrence Darkwah - respectively conducted the heavy metal analysis and data analysis and the write ups.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samuel Wiafe.

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All the authors of this research work took of all the ethical obligations in conducting this research and hence no ethical rules were breached.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Wiafe, S., Buamah, R., Essandoh, H. et al. Assessment of Typha capensis for the remediation of soil contaminated with As, Hg, Cd and Pb. Environ Monit Assess 191, 346 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7484-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7484-2

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