Duckweed Plant: A Better Future Option for Phytoremediation
Ekta Chaudhary1, Praveen Sharma2
1Ekta Chaudhary, Research scholar, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engg., GJUS&T, Hisar, Haryana, India.
2Dr. Praveen Sharma, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engg., GJUS&T, Hisar, Haryana, India.
Manuscript received on May 15, 2014. | Revised Manuscript received on May 18, 2014. | Manuscript published on May 25, 2014. | PP:39-41 | Volume-2 Issue-7, May 2014. | Retrieval Number: G0743052714/2014©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Preservation of the environment quality is one of the major concerns of this century. The biosphere is getting degraded by the release of natural and synthetic substances which can cause deleterious effects on living organisms. Among all the pollutants, heavy metals are easily transported and accumulated in the environment. Several industries such as textile, steel, electroplating, metal producing etc. release heavy metals (cadmium, copper, chromium, nickel, lead etc.) in the wastewater. Most of the heavy metals are toxic or carcinogenic in nature and may pose a threat to human health and the environment at higher concentrations. Several conventional methods are used for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater include chemical precipitation, ion exchange, reverse osmosis etc. but major limitations of such treatments are production of large quantities of sludge and may be ineffective or economically expensive processes. . So, the search for a new, simple, effective and eco-friendly technologies for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater has directed attention towards phytoremediation. Many plants has been used for treating wastewater but duckweeds (family Lemnaceae) appear to be the better alternative and have been recommended for wastewater treatment as they are more tolerant to cold than water hyacinth as well as more easily harvested than algae, and capable of rapid growth.
Keywords: Heavy Metals, Duckweed, wastewater treatment, Phytoremediation.