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JECET; June 2016- August 2016; Sec. A; Vol.5. No.3, 558-561.
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Journal of Environmental Science, Computer Science and
Engineering & Technology
An International Peer Review E-3 Journal of Sciences and Technology
Available online at www.jecet.org
Section A: Environmental Science
Review Article
Quantification of Heavy Metals in Plants Grown in
Industrial Area of Mysuru City, India
Shiva Kumar D, Srikantaswamy S and Abhilash M R
Department of Studies in Environmental Science, University of Mysore, Manasagangothri,
Mysuru-570 006. Karnataka
Received: 04 July 2016; Revised: 20 July 2016; Accepted: 25 July 2016
Abstract: Heavy metals are natural constituents of the environment, but
indiscriminate usefor human purposes has altered their geochemical cycles and
biochemical balance. These results in excess release of heavy metals such as
cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc etc. intonatural resources like the soil and aquatic
environments. Prolonged exposure and higheraccumulation of such heavy metals can
have deleterious health effects on human life andaquatic biota. The role of
microorganisms and plants in biotransformation of heavy metalsinto nontoxic forms
is well-documented, and understanding the molecular mechanism ofmetal
accumulation has numerous biotechnological implications for bioremediation of
metal-contaminated sites. In view of this, the present review investigates the abilities
ofmicroorganisms and plants in terms of tolerance and degradation of heavy metals.
Keywords: Hevy metals, Toxicity, Industrial area, Bio-accumulation, Mysuru.
INTRODUCTION
The rapid increases in industrialization have not been accompanied by increases in the treatment and
disposal of the hazardous wastes they produce and this has resulted in huge environmental problems.
The bulk of the hazardous wastes generated have been dumped into the ocean, rivers, canals, any
drainage systems and landfills1. In addition, many chemicals used as additives to benefit agricultural
activities such as lime, fertilizers, manures, herbicides, fungicides and irrigation waters are also
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Shiva Kumar et al.
sources of heavy metals (HMs)2. Slow depletion of heavy metals also takes place through leaching,
plant uptake,erosion and deflation. The indiscriminate release of heavy metals into the soil and waters
is a majorhealth concern worldwide, as they cannot be broken down to non-toxic forms and therefore
havelong-lasting effects on the ecosystem. Many of them are toxic even at very low
concentrations&are not only cytotoxic butalso carcinogenic and mutagenic in nature. Some metals are
required by plants in very small amountsfor their growth and optimum performance. However, the
increasing concentration of several metals in soiland waters due to industrial revolution has created an
alarming situation for human life and aquatic biota.
This is evident from various reports citing harmful effects of heavy metals on human health.
Alternately, biological methods like biosorption and/or bioaccumulation for removal of heavy metals
may be an attractive alternative to physico-chemical methods. Use of microorganisms and plants
forremediation purposes is thus a possible solution for heavy metal pollution since it includes
sustainableremediation technologies to rectify and re-establish the natural condition of soil. However,
introductionof heavy metals into the soil causes considerable modification of the microbial
community, despite theirvital importance for the growth of microorganisms at relatively low
concentrations.
Types of Bioremediation: There are two approaches to bioremediation (i) In situ bioremediation
involves the treatment of contaminantswhere they are located. In this case the microorganismscome
into direct contact with the dissolved and sorbed contaminants and use them as substrates for
transformation.Since the in situ process is slow, it is not the best approach when immediate site
cleanup is desired. (ii) Ex situbioremediation is a different approach that utilizes
speciallyconstructed treatment facility. It is more expensive than insitu bioremediation3.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The soil samples were collected at different points of the industrial zone of Mysuru city, India. The
soil and plant samples are collected and dried in sunlight. Soil samples and plants were dried with the
help of oven in the laboratory and then ground in an agate mortar and pestle to pass through a 0.5 mm
stainless steel sieve. Then they were stored in polythene covers at room temperature.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Generally, according to the earlier researchers, phytoremediation is defined as an emerging
technology using selected plants to clean up the contaminated environment from hazardous
contaminant to improve the environment quality.
Heavy metals are among the most important sorts of contaminant in the environment. Several
methods already used to clean up the environment from these kinds of contaminants, but most of them
are costly and difficult to get optimum results. Currently, phytoremediation is an effective and
affordable technological solution used to extract or remove inactive metals and metal pollutants from
contaminated soil and water. This technology is environmental friendly and potentially cost effective.
Several studies have described the performance of heavy metals uptake by plants. It is reported that
phytoremediation technology is an alternative to treat heavy-metal-contaminated side which will be
more admitted in order to remediate the environment.
The metal discharging process in to soil environment in industrial areas is a common practice. By the
metal mobility and climatic condition together results in metal accumulation in the soil and plant
body. The pH of the soil initially decides the mobility of the metals. Here the whole plant body was
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Shiva Kumar et al.
taken and grinded for the analysis. In some of the research papers they distinguished in to stem, root,
and leaf etc.4.
The pH of the soil was measured about 6.8. Whereas the plant body measured little low due to the
acidic condition. Due to acidic condition of the plant body it leads to the rapid uptake of
heavymetals5. The crushed part of the plant body measured the metal concentration comparatively
high than in the soil environment. The results were tabulated in table 1. Depending on the type of
industry, the different metal will discharged in to the soil environment through solid waste and
hazardous wastes. During the disposal of hazardous wastes and solid wastes, the soluble metals will
enter in to the environment in to respective oxides5.
The metal concentration, transfer and accumulation of metals from soil to roots, stem and leaf was
evaluated through Biological Concentration Factor (BCF). This is an index of the ability of the plant
to accumulate a particular metal with respect to its concentration in the soil. Translocation Factor (TF)
was described as ratio of heavy metals in plant shoot to that in the plant root. The TF value will be
higher for those plants which retain the metal in roots without translocating to aerial parts of the plant
body.
Vegetative Uptake is affected by the environmental conditions6. The temperature affects growth
substances and consequently roots length. Root structure under field conditions differs from that
under greenhouse condition. The success of phytoremediation, more specifically phytoextraction,
depends on a contaminant-specific hyper accumulator7. Understanding mass balance analyses and the
metabolic fate of pollutants in plants are the keys to proving the applicability of phytoremediation.
Metal uptake by plants depends on the bioavailability of the metal in the water phase, which in turn
depends on the retention time of the metal, as well as the interaction with other elements and
substances in the water. Furthermore, when metals have been bound to the soil, the pH, redox
potential, and organic matter content will all affect the tendency of the metal to exist in ionic and
plant-available form. Plants will affect the soil through their ability to lower the pH and oxygenate the
sediment, which affects the availability of the metals, increasing the bioavailability of heavy metals
by the addition of biodegradable physicochemical factors, such as chelating agents and micronutrients
Table 1: Heavy metal accumulation in soil and plant body (mg/kg)
Samples
pH
Soil
Echinochloacolona, L.
Canna indica,L.
Catharanthusroseus(L.) G.Don
Physalisminima,L.
Cleome viscose,L.
Acalyphaindica,L.
6.8
6.3
6.3
6.7
6.1
6.7
6.2
Zinc
(Zn)
98
110
139
148
124
156
126
Lead
(Pb)
36
38
39
39
36
32
40
Cadmium
(Cd)
12
10
21
18
18
19
09
Chromium
(Cr)
52
32
46
68
67
52
50
Copper
(Cu)
41
38
52
42
40
22
51
CONCLUSION
Industrialization and extraction of natural resources haveresulted in large scale environmental
contamination andpollution. Bioremediation is an innovative and promising technology available for
removal of heavy metals andrecovery of the heavy metals in polluted water and lands. Since
microorganisms have developed variousstrategies for their survival in heavy metal-polluted habitats,
these organisms are known to develop andadopt different detoxifying mechanisms such as
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Shiva Kumar et al.
biosorption, bioaccumulation, biotransformation and biomineralization, which can be exploited for
bioremediation either ex situ or in situ . A globalsurvey to examine the use of bioremediation
technologies for addressing the environmental problemswas carried out. Developed economies made
higheruse of low-cost in situ bioremediation technologies such as monitored natural attenuation, while
theirdeveloping counterparts appeared to focus on occasionally more expensive ex situ technologies.
The present study reveals the accumulation of heavy metals in the plant body in industrial area. The
analyzed metals concentration were comparatively high than the soil environment. This indicates the
mobility and uptake of metal in the soil environment. Since these plants having the ability of
accumulating the heavy metals, we could use these plants for phytoremediation process for removal of
heavy metal.
REFERENCE
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and crops in Southeast Asia. 2. Thailand. Environmental Geochemistry and Health,
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4. V.Subhashini and A.V.V.S. Swamy, Uptake of heavy metals from contaminated soils
by cyperusRotundus L, International Journal of Engineering and Science Research,
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5. D.Shiva Kumar and S.Srikantaswamy, Factors Affecting on Mobility of Heavy
Metals in Soil Environment International Journal for Scientific Research &
Development,2014, 2, 03, 2321-0613
6. Smolders, E., R.M. Lambregts, M.J. McLaughlin and K.G. Tiller. (1998). Effect of
soil solution chloride on cadmium availability to Swiss Chand. 1998,J. Environ.
Qual. 27: 426-431.
7. Zhu, B. and A.K. Alva, Trace metal and cation transport in a sandy soil with various
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Corresponding author: Shiva Kumar D;
Department of Studies in Environmental Science, University of
Mysore, Manasagangothri,
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