Analysis Of Plant’s - Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) And Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton), For the Control of Heavy Metals (Cr) And Arsenic (As) Using Phytoremediation Techniques

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution released into the surface environment poses a significant threat, being hazardous to both the environment and living organisms. The direct release of heavy metals serves as a crucial indicator of environmental change, affecting ecosystems, agricultural productivity, and human health. Industries like tanneries and mining are identified as major contributors to heavy metal pollution. Phytoremediation thus appears as a viable technique to address heavy metal pollution in soils impacted by industrial effluents. This paper examined the usefulness of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) in eradicating Cr and As polluted soils originating from tannery waste water.  The growth performance of these plants and their potential for metals accumulation in the root and in the aboveground biomass was assessed in a series of controlled experiments. In this experiment, CBRD testing was performed, and the samples were analyzed using ICPMS. To identify the growth performance of sunflower and cotton seeds under various concentrations of arsenic and chromium present in the tannery industrial wastewater in the Chengalpattu region, and to identify the accumulation of As and Cr in the roots, shoots, and soil of these plants. Using phytoremediation techniques, soil properties, seed germination, and plant morphological characteristics were analyzed. Statistical analysis (ANOVA test) was carried out to identify the efficiency of phytoremediation techniques in this study. The study inferred that, in comparison to the other plants, the concentrations of Cr in sunflower roots were significantly higher, but cotton was found to have a better ability to take up As in the roots as well as in the aerial parts of the plant. It hence demonstrate the applicability of sunflower and cotton to support phytoremediation efforts sustainably within industrial environments to mitigate pollution and improve the quality of soil.