Phytoremediation of waste water and comtaminated soil

Phytoremediation sound environmental technologies which could be at the forefront to mitigate soil pollution. Heavy metal pollution leads to deterioration of soil and water quality leading to their incorporation in food chain. Use of plants for pollutant treatment is termed as phytoremediation. In this study, heavy metal (Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, Fe, and Cd) concentrations in leaves, stems and roots of oat plants (Avena sativa Linn.) were determined. The oat plants collected at six sampling sites from Libyan Agricultural Green Plateau Project was irrigated by sewage water and studied for their potential to accumulate heavy metals from the contaminated soils. The Oat plants were fund to accumulate heavy metals to significant levels from the soil contaminated with sewage effluents. The Oat plants were found to exhibit noteworthy removal of heavy metals from the soil. When compared the concentration of heavy metals between soil and plant samples, the results showed that the oat plants decreased the concentration of heavy metals in the soil, and indicated the ability of oat plants to treatment the soil from heavy metals. Thus, it is concluded that oats could be more efficient for removal of heavy metals from sewage-contaminated soils. The results of this study should be further developed in order to confirm the potential use of these species in soil remediation programs.