phytoremediation of heavy metals from urban waste leachate by southern cattail (typha domingensis)

International Journal of Scientific Research in Environmental Sciences (IJSRES), 1(4), pp. 63-70, 2013 Available online at http://www.ijsrpub.com/ijsres

ISSN: 2322-4983; ©2013 IJSRPUB

63

Full Length Research Paper

Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals from Urban Waste Leachate by Southern Cattail

(Typha domingensis)

Amin Mojiri1*

, Hamidi Abdul Aziz1, Mohammad Ali Zahed

2, Shuokr Qarani Aziz

3, M. Razip B. Selamat

1

1School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia

2Department of Civil Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA

3Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Salahaddin University, Erbil, Iraq

*Corresponding Author E-Mail: [email protected] Tel: +60169836292, Fax: +60345995999

Received 12 February 2013, Accepted 3 March 2013

Abstract. The effectiveness of southern cattail (Typha domingensis) for phytoremediation of heavy metals from municipal

waste leachate was investigated. Some plants were transplanted into pots containing 10 liters of mixed urban waste leachate

and water (3/1 V: V) and aerated during experiments. Central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology

(RSM) were used in order to clarify the nature of the response surface in the experimental design and explain the optimal

conditions of the independent variables. In the optimum conditions, the amount of removed Pb, Ni and Cd were 0.9725,

0.4681, and 0.3692 mg/kg, and Translocation Factor (TF) in 24, 48 and 72 h experiment were 1, 1.07, 1.00, 1.11, 1.32, 1.00,

1.5 1.20 and 1.02 for each heavy metal (Pb, Ni, and Cd) respectively. The findings show that Typha domingensis is an effective

accumulator plant for phytoremediation of these heavy metals.

Key words: Heavy metals; Phytoremediation; Typha domingensis; Waste leachate; Cattail

1. INTRODUCTION

The use of plants for remediation of soils and waters

polluted with heavy metals, has gained acceptance in

the past two decades as a cost effective and non-

invasive method (Mojiri, 2012). This approach is

emerging as an innovative tool with great potential

that is most useful when pollutants are within the root

zone of the plants (top three to six feet).

Furthermore, phytoremediation is energy efficient,

cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing technique of

remediation sites with low to moderate levels of

contamination. The method of phytoremediation

exploits the use of either naturally occurring metal

hyper accumulator plants or genetically engineered

plants (Setia et al. 2008). A variety of polluted waters

can be phytoremediated, counting sewage and

municipal wastewater, agricultural runoff/drainage

water, industrial wastewater, coal pile runoff, landfill

leachate, mine drainage, and groundwater

plumes (Olguín and Galván, 2010).

A rising method for polluted area remediation is

phytoextraction (Ok and Kim, 2007). Phytoextraction

is the uptake of pollutants by plant roots and

translocation within the plants. Pollutants are

generally removed by harvesting the plants, and it has

been recognized as an appropriated approach to

remove pollutants from soil, sediment and sludge

(Singh et al., 2011). Plants may play a vital role in

metal removal through absorption, cation exchange,

filtration, and chemical changes through the root.

There is evidence that wetland plants such as

Typhalatifolia, Cyperus malaccensis and etc. can

accumulate heavy metals in their tissues (Yadav and

Chandra, 2011).

Typha is often found close to water, in lakes,

lagoons and riverine areas of numerous regions of the

world, in America, Europe and Asia (Esteves et al.,

2008). Typha is a highly flood-tolerant species with

the capacity for internal pressurized gas flow to

rhizomes through a well-developed aerenchyma

system that provides oxygen for root growth in

anaerobic substrates (Li et al. 2010). Southern cattail

(Typha domingensis) is highly salt-tolerant and

considered as the potential source of pulp and fiber

(Khider et al., 2012).

Dipu et al. (2012) conducted a study to determine

the efficiency of an emergent wetland plant species

Typha sp. and floating wetland macrophytes such as

Pistia sp., Azolla sp., Lemna sp., Salvinia sp., and

Eichhornia sp. in phytoremediation of various heavy

metals with addition of a chelating agent such as

EDTA.

The aims of the study were to investigate the

phytoremediation of heavy metals from urban waste

leachate by Typha domingensis and optimization of

process parameters using the response surface

methodology (RSM). This technique has been

employed for modelling and optimization of plant

uptakes (Hu et al., 2006; Abhilash et al., 2011) as well

as bioremediation (Zahed et al., 2010; Mohajeri et al.,

mailto:[email protected]

Mojiri et al.

Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals from Urban Waste Leachate by Southern Cattail (Typha domingensis)

64

2010) and phytoremediation (Cordova et al., 2011;

Akinibile et al., 2012).

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1. Sample Preparation

The plants were transplanted into pots containing 10

liters of mixed urban waste leachate and water (mixed

75 percentages of waste located with 25 percentage of

water; V: V), and aeration was done in 2011. Central

composite design and response surface methodology

were used in order to clarify the nature of the response

surface in the experimental design and explain the

optimal conditions of the independent variables.

Different number of Typha domingensis transplanting

in each pot (2 to 4 Typha domingensis) and different

lengths of time for taking samples (24 to 72 hours)

were used.

Table 1: Waste leachate and water properties

pH EC

(dS m-1

)

N

(mg/L)

BOD5

(mg/L)

Fe

(mg/L)

Mn

(mg/L)

Zn

(mg/L)

Pb

(mg/L)

Ni

(mg/L)

Cd

(mg/L)

Water

7.00 0.23 ND - ND ND ND ND ND ND

Urban Waste leachate

5.84 28.72 0.71 27.18 80.013 16.011 17.11 2.218 1.092 0.925 ND: Not Detected, MDL: 10 µg/L

Table 2: Experimental variables and results for the removal metals

Run Variables Response

A: number of plants

transplanting

B: Time for taking

samples

(hours)

Amount of Pb

removed.

(mg/kg)

Amount of Ni

removed.

(mg/kg)

Amount of Cd

removed.

(mg/kg)

1 2 48 0.800 0.343 0.300

2 4 48 0.901 0.420 0.341

3 3 48 0.870 0.383 0.314

4 2 24 0.703 0.380 0.282

5 3 48 0.881 0.397 0.322

6 4 72 1.130 0.589 0.447

7 3 48 0.882 0.398 0.322

8 3 72 0.997 0.492 0.386

9 2 72 0.798 0.372 0.300

10 3 48 0.879 0.399 0.327

11 3 48 0.889 0.390 0.318

12 4 24 0.802 0.341 0.301

13 3 24 0.76 0.437 0.310

2.2. Laboratory Analysis

The plant tissues were prepared for laboratory analysis

by Wet Digestion method (Campbell and Plank,

1998). Extractable lead (Pb), nickel (Ni) and cadmium

(Cd) in waste leachate and plant tissues were carried

out using a flame atomic absorption spectrometer

(Varian Spectra 20 Plus, Mulgrave, Australia) in

accordance to the Standard Methods (APHA, 2005).

Waste leachate and water properties are shown in

Table 1.

2.3. Statistical Analysis

Central composite design (CCD) and Response

surface methodology (RSM) were employed in order

to clarify the nature of the response surface in the

experimental design and elucidate the optimal

conditions of the independent variables. CCD was

established through Design Expert Software (6.0.7).

The behavior of the system is described through

equation 1 an empirical second-order polynomial

model:

xxxx ijiji

iji

i

k

iiii

k

i

iY11

2

110

(1)

where Y is the response; Xi and Xj are the

variables; β0 is a constant coefficient; βj, βjj, and βij are

the interaction coefficients of linear, quadratic and

second-order terms, respectively; k is the number of

study factors; and e is the error.

The results were completely analyzed by analysis

of variance (ANOVA) in the Design Expert Software.

Number of Typha domingensis transplanting (2, 3, and

4) and times for taking samples (24, 48, and 72 hours)

were used. To carry out an adequate analysis, three

International Journal of Scientific Research in Environmental Sciences (IJSRES), 1(4), pp. 63-70, 2013

65

dependent parameters (reducing lead, nickel, and

cadmium concentration in leachate) were measured as

responses (Table 2).

Descriptive statistical analysis including mean

comparison of Pb, Ni and Cd accumulation in the

roots and shoots of the plants using Duncan’s Multiple

Range Test (DMRT) was conducted using the SPSS

software.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Waste leachate properties before the experiment, the

results of the experiments, ANOVA results for

response parameter, and comparing the means of Pb,

Ni and Cd accumulation in Typha domingensis roots,

and shoots are shown in Tables 2.

Table 3: ANOVA results for response parameter

Response Final equation in terms of actual

factors

Prob. R2 Adj.R

2 SD CV PRESS Prob.LOF

Pb

Removal

0.7321-0.0278A-0.003B-0.003AB 0.0001 0.9520 0.9360 0.027 3.15 0.025 0.0033

Ni

Removal

0.05318+0.0788A-0.0152B-

0.0273A2-0.0050B

2-.003AB

0.0001 0.9554 0.9235 0.018 4.46 0.020 0.0113

Cd

Removal

0.3432+0.0157A-0.003B-0.005B-

0.003AB

0.0001 0.9623 0.9354 0.011 3.27 0.030 0.0222

Prob.: Probability of error; R2: Coefficient of determination; Ad. R2: Adjusted R2; Adec. P.: Adequate precision; SD: Standard deviation; CV: Coefficient of

variance; PRESS: Predicted residual error sum of square; Prob. LOF: Probability of lack of fit Where A is number of Typha domingensis transplanting, and B is time for taking samples

Table 4: Comparison the heavy metals TF in Typha domingensis after 24, 48 and 72 hours

Metals(mg/L) Time(h) Plants TF Time(h) Plants TF Time(h) Plants TF

Root Shoot -

48

Root Shoot -

72

Root Shoot -

Pb 24 0.291a+

0.292a 1.00 0.401a 0.448f 1.11 0.700a 0.739f 1.05

Ni 0.102b 0.110b 1.07 0.209b 0.277g 1.32 0.312b 0.375g 1.20

Cd 0.096c 0.096c 1.00 0.128c 0.129h 1.00 0.293c 0.300h 1.02 + Numbers followed by same letters in each column are not significantly (P<0.05) different according to the DMR test

In this work, the RSM was used for analyzing the

correlation between the variables (number of Typha

domingensis transplanting and the lengths of time for

taking samples) and the important process response

(the amount of removed Pb, Ni, and Cd). Predicted vs.

actual values plot for metal removals are shown in

Figures 1. Considerable model terms were preferred to

achieve the best fit in a particular model. CCD

permitted the development of mathematical equations

where predicted results (Y) were evaluated as a

function of the number of Typha domingensis

transplanting (A) and the lengths of time for taking

samples (B). The results were computed as the sum of

a constant, two first order effects (terms in A and B),

one interaction effect (AB), and two second-order

effects (A2 and B

2), as shown in the equation (Table

3). The results were analyzed by ANOVA to

determine the accuracy of fit.

The model was significant at the 5% confidence

level because probability values were less than 0.05.

The lack of fit (LOF) F-test explains variation of the

data around the modified model. LOF would be

significant, if the model did not fit the data well.

Generally, large probability values for LOF (>0.05)

explained that the F-statistic was insignificant,

implying a significant model relationship between

variables and process responses.

3.1. Lead (Pb) Removed

The amount of removed Pb ranged from 0.703 mg/kg

(2 plants transplanting, and 24 hours of time for taking

samples) to 1.130 mg/kg (4 plants transplanting, and

72 hours of time for taking samples). The

phytoremediation of Pb increased when the number of

plants transplanting and time for taking samples were

increased.

3.2. Nickel (Ni) Removed

The amount of removed Ni ranged from 0.341 mg/kg


samples) to 0.589 mg/kg (4 plants transplanting, and


phytoremediation of Ni increased when the number of


increased.

Mojiri et al.


66

(a) (b)

(c)

Fig. 1: The design expert statistical plots - predicted versus actual plot: (a) Pb, (b)Ni, (c) Cd

3.3. Cadmium (Cd) Removed

The amount of removed Cd ranged from 0.282 mg/kg


samples) to 0.447 mg/kg (4 plants transplanting and


phytoremediation of Cd increased when the number of


increased.

3.4. Uptake of Heavy Metals by Plant

Soluble metals can enter into the root symplast by

crossing the plasma membrane of the root endodermal

cells, or they can enter the root apoplast through the

space between cells. While it is possible for solutes to

travel up through the plant by apoplastic flow, the

more efficient method of moving up the plant is

through the vasculature of the plant, called the xylem.

To enter the xylem, solutes must cross the Casparian

strip, a waxy coating, which is impermeable to

solutes, unless they pass through the cells of the

endodermis. Therefore, to enter the xylem, metals

must cross a membrane, probably through the action

of a membrane pump or channel. Once loaded into the

xylem, the flow of the xylem sap will transport the

metal to the leaves, where it must be loaded into the

cells of the leaf, again crossing a membrane. The cell

types where the metals are deposited vary between

hyper-accumulator species (Peer et al., 2005).


67

(a) (b)

(c)

Fig. 2: The 3D surface plots of heavy metal removal: (a) pb, (b) Ni, (c) Cd

Metal accumulating plant species can concentrate

heavy metals like Cd, Zn, Co, Mn, Ni, and Pb up to

100 or 1000 times more than those taken up by non-

accumulator (excluder) plants. The uptake

performance by plant can be greatly improved

(Tangahu et al., 2011).

The concentrations of lead (ppm) in the roots of

Typha domingensis were 0.291, 0.401, and 0.700, and

in the shoots of Typha domingensis were 0.292, 0.448,

and 0.739, after 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively.

The lead is not necessary for plant growth and

considered as contaminated at the concentration of 30-

300 μg g-1

in plant tissues Mojiri (2012).

The concentrations of nickel (ppm) in the roots of

Typha domingensis were 0.102, 0.209, and 0.312, and

in the shoots of Typha domingensis were 0.110, 0.277,


The concentrations of cadmium (ppm) in the roots of

Typha domingensis were 0.096, 0.128, and 0.293 and

in shoots of Typha domingensis were 0.096, 0.129,


3.5. Translocation factor (TF)

The efficiency of phytoremediation can be quantified

by calculating translocation factor. The TF expresses

the capacity of a plant to store the MTE in its upper

part. This is defined as the ratio of metal concentration

in the upper part to that in the roots (Chakroun et al.,

2010). The translocation factor indicates the efficiency

Mojiri et al.


68

of the plant in translocating the accumulated metal

from its roots to shoots. It is calculated as follows

(Padmavathiamma and Li, 2007).

RootC

CTFFactorionTranslocat Shoot)( (2)

where Cshoot is the concentration of the metal in

plant shoots and Croot is the concentration of the metal

in plant roots.

Based on Table 4, translocation factors (TF) were

more than 1 in all treatments. A translocation factor

value greater than 1 indicates the translocation of the

metal from root to above-ground part (Jamil et al.

2009). According to Yoon et al. (2006), only plant

species with TF greater than 1 have the potential to be

used for phytoextraction.

4. CONCLUSION

Phytoremediation of heavy metals from urban waste

leachate by Typha domingensis was studied. CCD and

RSM were used in the design of experiments,

statistical analysis and optimization of the parameters.

The factors were number of Typha domingensis

transplanting (2, 3, and 4) and time for taking samples

(24, 48, and 72 hours); while the responses were

removals of Pb, Ni and Cd. The findings clarified that

the Typha domingensis is an effective accumulator

plant for phytoremediation of Pb, Ni and Cd.

Statistical analysis via Design Expert Software (6.0.7)

showed that the optimum conditions for the number of

Typha domingensis transplanting and the time for

taking samples were 3.33 and 61.90 hours,

respectively. For the optimized factors, the amount of

removed pollutants Pb, Ni and Cd (ppm) were 0.9725,

0.4681, and 0.3692 mg/kg, respectively.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the University

Sains Malaysia (USM) for their supports.

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Amin Mojiri is a PhD candidate in environmental engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Universiti

Sains Malaysia (USM), Pulau Pinang. He is fellowship holder and research assistant at the School of Civil

Engineering (USM). He is a member of Young Researchers Club, Islamic Azad University, Iran. He is

editor and reviewer of some international journals. His area of specialization is waste management, waste

recycling, wastewater treatment, wastewater recycling, and soil pollutions.

Dr Aziz is a Professor in environmental engineering at the School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains

Malaysia. Dr. Aziz received his Ph.D in civil engineering (environmental engineering) from University of

Strathclyde, Scotland in 1992. He has published over 200 refereed articles in professional

journals/proceedings and currently sits as the Editorial Board Member for 8 International journals. Dr

Aziz's research has focused on alleviating problems associated with water pollution issues from industrial

wastewater discharge and solid waste management via landfilling, especially on leachate pollution. He

also interests in biodegradation and bioremediation of oil spills.

Dr. Mohammad Ali Zahed received PhD in Environmnetal Engineering from Universiti Sains MAlasia

(USM). He is editor and reviewer some international journals.

Dr. Shuokr Qarani Aziz is a lecturer in the Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering,

University of Salahaddin-Erbil, Iraq. He received B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering and M.Sc. in Sanitary

Engineering from University of Salahaddin-Erbil, Iraq; Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia. He is editor and reviewer of some international journals. His

area of specialization is Water Supply Engineering, Wastewater Engineering, Solid Waste Management,

and Noise Pollution.

Professor M. Razip Selamat is at the School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Dr. M.

Razip received his PhD from University of Queensland, Australia.

phytoremediation of heavy metals from urban waste leachate by southern cattail (typha domingensis)

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