Role of Phragmites Australis for Biomonitoring and Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals Pollution in Badavar River, Lorestan Province (Iran)

Abstract

High amounts of heavy metals are introduced into aquatic ecosystem under anthropogenic and natural processes (1). Human activities, such as urbanization, industrialization, and land use change, increase dangerously pollutants such as heavy metals in the environment (2). Mineral contaminants such as heavy metals are biodegradable and have prolonged persistence. Some of these metals have vital functions in the body, but higher levels of each of these metals cause serious damage to the health of humans and other living organisms (3). In this regard, the phytoremediation is considered as a low-cost alternative to physicochemical methods and less human resource requirements (4). This approach has begun since the 1990s and is considered as an appropriate solution to reduce the pollution from heavy metals in the environment (5). Phragmites australis is a wide-spread, ubiquitous macro-macrophyte species that grows from the best plant species to reduce the accumulation of heavy metals and their effects A-R-T-I-C-L-EI-N-F-O A-B-S-T-R-A-C-T Article Notes: Received: Oct 28, 2018 Received in revised form: Apr 24, 2019 Accepted: May 28, 2019 Available Online: Aug 4, 2019 Background & Aims of the Study: Aquatic macrophytes, given their rapid growth and high bio mass production, great potential to accumulate heavy metals in their organs. Phragmites australis as a hyper-cumulative plant plays an important role in the bioremediation. The Badavar River of Noorabad, Lorestan province, is exposed to urban wastewater and agricultural runoffs. In order to heavy metals (Pb, Zn and Cu) monitoring by aquatic macrophyte Phragmites australis, the concentration of these metals were investigated in this plant and river sediments in 2016. Materials & Methods: The concentration of the metals after acid digestion was measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The contamination factor was used to study the sediments pollution. Results: Comparison of metal concentrations with American and Canadian standards does not indicate the critical status of sediment contamination. The accumulation of metals in Phragmites australis plants showed a decreasing trend in root, leaf and stem respectively. On the other hand, the higher the transfer factor from the numerical value of one for zinc and copper metals indicates the high ability of these metals to be transferred to the plant. Conclusions: Finally, it can be noted that the shoots and roots of the plant in relation to the metals studied as an hyper accumulative organs and since there is a positive and significant relationship between the concentration of copper in sediment and root, it is likely that the roots organ of the plant is an appropriate bio indicator for its contamination in the sediments of the area.