There is a growing global concern for the environmental and health hazards posed by heavy metal contaminants, especially lead in the soil and ground water. Thus, there is great need to a cheap, efficient, and effective technology to mitigate the growing problem of heavy metal contaminations. The study presented here was undertaken to evaluate the potential of using aqueous extracts of Brassica juncea (Mustard Green), Spinacea oleracea (spinach), Brassica Oleracea (Collard Green), Capsicum Annuum (Red Pepper), Vernonia Amygdalina, Carota Sativus (Carrot), Lycopersicon esculentum (Tomatoes), Vitis vinifera (grapes), and Citrus aurantifolia (lime) for the in-situ remediation of lead contaminated water.  After shaking triplicate reaction mixtures of lead contaminated water with each substrate for 22 hours at room temperature, lead removal by the substrates were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry. The study concludes that the aqueous extracts of the vegetables and fruits effectively removed lead from contaminated water.

Phytoremediation of lead contaminated water using aqueous plant extracts

245th National Meeting (2013)

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