Heavy meal decontamination of polluted soils using Bryophyllum pinnatum

Abstract

Phytoremediation was carried out with Bryophyllum pinnatum as a means of cleaning up soils contaminated with heavy metals. Maximum levels of metals accumulated were Ni (11.91 mg/kg), Pb (399.90 mg/kg), Cr (32.48 mg/kg), V (5.81 mg/kg) and Cd (3.12 mg/kg) and this occurred in the 4th month of study. Results of this study indicate that B. pinnatum is an efficient metal hyperaccumulator for phytoremediation of metal contaminated soils.