Exploring the Potential of Utilizing Aquatic Macrophytes for Enhanced Phytoremediation of Zinc in Artificial Wastewater: Characteristics and Parameter Studies

Heavy metal pollution due to industrialization can threaten the surrounding environment and living organisms. Phytoremediation is a green technique that uses hyperaccumulator plants to eliminate or decrease heavy metals in polluted water bodies. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in morphology of Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) and Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) before and after phytoremediation of zinc (Zn) by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The SEM images showed the formation of small granular aggregates on the surfaces of the leaf and root. EDX results confirmed the uptake of Zn metal, especially in the plant roots. The FTIR spectra showed the Zn metal binding with several characteristic functional groups (O-H, C-H and C=O bonds). Different parameters were also studied to optimize the Zn uptake rate. Water lettuce achieved 80.1% phytoremediation of Zn after 5 days at optimum conditions (10 ppm of Zn, 6 ppm of sodium chloride and natural solution pH). Meanwhile, water hyacinth reached up to 88% when increasing the sodium chloride up to 9 ppm. In conclusion, Zn phytoremediation using both plants can be a potential remediation method for improving the quality of water.