TITLE:
Local Plants Potentially Suitable for Phytoremediation of Soils Polluted by Heavy Metals: The Case of Landfill Sites
AUTHORS:
Kpan Kpan Kouakou Gains, Touré Mamadou, Ouattara Noufou Doudjo, Kouassi Kouadio Claude, Ehouman N’guetta Moïse, Ouattara Djibril, Tiho Seydou
KEYWORDS:
Heavy Metals, Phytoremediation, Phyllanthus amarus, Alternanthera sessilis, Amaranthus spinosus
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.12 No.7,
July
23,
2024
ABSTRACT: Landfills are contaminated sites that need to be cleaned up to prevent human and environmental exposure to pollutants. This article aims to identify local plants capable of restoring soil polluted by heavy metals. To this end, plant species at the Bonoua landfill were inventoried. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry was used to determine the heavy metal content of soil and plants from the landfill. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) of metals in plants was evaluated. The Bonoua landfill is covered with 62 plant species, comprising 28 botanical families and 50 genera. The BCF varied from 0.08 (titanium) to 2.27 (strontium) for Phyllanthus amarus; from 0.06 (titanium) to 1.83 (copper) for Alternanthera sessilis and from 0.03 (arsenic) to 2.10 (strontium) for Amaranthus spinosus. Phyllanthus amarus, Alternanthera sessilis, and Amaranthus spinosus are strontium-accumulating species (BCF > 1). Similarly, copper BCF values were above 1 for Phyllanthus amarus, and Alternanthera sessilis. These two plant species are therefore copper accumulators. In short, Phyllanthus amarus, Alternanthera sessilis, and Amaranthus spinosus are candidate species for phytoremediation of heavy metal-polluted soils, given their BCF > 1.