PHYTOREMEDIATION POTENTIAL OF IXORA COCCINEA IN PB CONTAMINATED SOILS

Numerous methods have been operated to relieve the environment of contamination of heavy metals. One of which is the use of chemical and thermal technology. However, this method was proven to be costly and operates far less than the optimum. It was discovered that plants can detoxify soils, therefore resulting in cleaner groundwater free from heavy metal contamination, a method referred to as phytoremediation. In this study, the ability of Ixora Coccinea to aid in phytoremediation was evaluated. Sixty-day old Ixora Coccinea plants were replanted in pots containing 1.3kg of soil mixed thoroughly with a lead (Pb) and distilled water solution with a concentration of 16.9 mg/ml. Every 15 days, for a period of 90 days, three plants were harvested for laboratory analysis testing. The samples were acid digested and analyzed of its Pb content using Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). The reduction of Pb gradually increased with respect to time, attaining a maximum of 38.1% reduction on day 60 of culture, but declined afterwards. On average, the Pb uptake rate of Ixora Coccinea was 15.3%. In a patch of land, plants spaced 240mm away from each other would absorb a maximum of 127.1 mg/kg of Pb with a depth of 200mm.