My partner and I are working on a paper with Ipomoea aquatica as the focus of phytoremediation. If the plant is not fit for consumption, what can be done to the plant after phytoremediation? Especially if it hyper-accumulated heavy metals?
There is a possibility that the heavy metals can be 'mined' from the plants (or phytomining). However, such technologies are not readily available. The alternative is to send it to landfill, which is still a better option to digging up large amounts of soil to remediate a site.
Dear Patricia
Extracting and analysing metals from areial parts and roots and purification of metals in order to get it back into industry could be done.
Best regards
Dear Patricia Nano
as Dr. Paria suggested you can read about extraction metal or other pollutant that may be present in the source of water with the plant you want to study and then try to measure those pollutants and indication of these concentration if its higher this may indicate the ability of plants to uptake these pollutants from water or soil and then you can decide according to the standard limits if these plants is useful for sonsumption or not.
regards
I agree with the comments of Drs.Yamini,Parisa and Mohamed.If the plant material generated is small ,it can go to landfill.If the plant material is sufficently large in quantity it can be used for extraction of metals ,especially from root system.One can not recommend the material for human or animal consumption.One can search for methods for ashing and extraction of heavy metals accumulated in plant parts especially roots.
plants which are used for phyto remediation usually absorb heavy metals and other pollutant in high amount. with the determination of amount of heavy metals and other pollutants in plant, we can find that whether plant is suitable for consumption or not.
Regarding the heavy metal Phytoremediation, you should measure the heavy metal ions concentration in the used plant in order to determine its consumption. For example, some plants are suitable to use as fertilizers, on condition that heavy metal ions in soil should not exceed the environmental limits, under the fact that the limits of heavy metals concentration in soil are much higher than the same limits in water. However, all biological treatments of heavy metals are work under the role of biosorption or bioaccumulation, so it is not allowed to use such plants for any further random uses without scientific knowledge. Thus, the most environmentally sound uses for such remediation techniques are the extraction of heavy metal ions from plants by 0.1 M of EDTA or HCl (rinsing by alginate technique), and reuse it in suitable industry. Or, you can landfill these heavy metals wastes after a pretreatment process includes glazing of such wastes contain heavy metals before landfill to ensure that the heavy metal ions are not leaking out to the ground water or environment. Otherwise, we cannot use other techniques such as classic landfill or incineration, because the heavy metal ions- (which they are elements) - will be free and may leak again to the surrounding environment causing pollution.
Best regards…
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