A Comparative Study of Cleaning-Up Heavy Metals in Groundwater By the Use of 3 Plant Species

Phytoremediation is a newly evolving field of biotechnology that uses plants to cleanup polluted soil, water, and air(Salt, et al.,1998).In this study, a comparison have been made between the cleaning-up capacities of several plant species living in a heavy metal contaminated saline wetland habitat. The content of eight heavy metals have been measured in the ground water samples taken from at least 3 different sites in bare land. Also, water samples have been taken from plant- covered areas, then the content of the heavy metals have been measured in these areas. The heavy metal removal capacities of the plant species have been compared with each other. The results indicate that among the plant species studied in this experiment, Suaeda aegyptiaca and Tamarix sowitziana have high capacities (92% and 89% respectively)to remove Cr and Suaeda aegyptiaca bears a removal capacity for Pb (90%). All the plant species used in this experiment, are effective in cleaning-up the groundwater, by removing the different heavy metals. So, they can be suitable candidates for phytoremediation projects, and their population should be protected and developed in heavy metal- contaminated habitats.