Capacity of Salvinia minima Baker to Tolerate and Accumulate As and Pb

Abstract

The use of Salvinia minima Baker for the removal of lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) from aqueous solutions was investigated. In a first approach, the effect of different concentrations of AsO 4 3± and Pb(II) on the growth and accumulation of these metals was studied. The plants tolerated concentrations of 20±40 lM Pb(II) and 200 lM of AsO 4 3± . Toxic effects occurred when 20 lM of Pb(II) and 100 lM AsO 4 3± were used. These effects included growth inhibition (decreased yield of biomass and frond area) as well as an altered frond (leaf-like structure in ferns) appearance and tissue consistence. S. minima showed a high uptake of Pb (34 mg/g dry weight) compared to As (0.5 mg/g dry weight). The uptake of As was inhibited by phosphate. Additional kinetic studies revealed a two-stage accumulation of both elements: a rapid first phase within the first 6±12 hours and a slow second phase up to the end of the 96-hour experiment.

Surface adsorption, intracellular accumulation and compartmentalization of Pb(II) in batch-operated lagoons with Salvinia minima as affected by environmental conditions, EDTA and nutrients

“…These values are similar to those we reported earlier for S. minima [14,20]. Furthermore, it is important to mention that these values remained high, considering that the initial lead concentrations used in this work are approximately four times higher than those tested earlier (an average of 11.4±0.4, versus an average of 3.5 mg/L).…”

“…It is worth noting that such BCF values are a lot higher than those previously reported for Lemnaceaes. The BCFs for L. minor and A. pinnata were 138 and 140, respectively, for an initial lead concentration of 4 mg/L [14]. In another work [30], a BCF of 60 was reported for ''duckweed'' exposed to an initial lead concentration of 1.0 mg/L.…”

Phytoremediation Potential of Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), Mesta (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), and Jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) in Arsenic-contaminated Soil

“…Other researchers also found that As uptake by plants increased, with increasing As concentration in the growth medium or soil (Ma et al, 2001;Hoffmann et al, 2004).…”

Photosynthetic performance of Salvinia natans exposed to chromium and zinc rich wastewater

“…Though extensive literature is available highlighting the potential of several Salvinia species for accumulation/removal of various heavy metals including Ni, Cu, As, Pb, Cr, Zn from wastewaters (Sen and Mondal, 1990;Sen and Bhattacharya, 1994;Nigam et al, 1998;Nichols et al, 2000;Hoffman et al, 2004;Hadad et al, 2007), the physiological factors and regulatory mechanisms related to the greater potential of plants for tolerating high levels of heavy metals are not known. Moreover, the exact mechanism of damage to the photosynthetic apparatus whether electron transport or carbon assimilation when Salvinia natans is exposed to heavy metals has not been studied.…”