Current - Issue

Heavy metal contamination in aquatic ecosystems has emerged as a major environmental concern due to rapid industrialization, urban runoff, mining activities, and agricultural discharge. Toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and arsenic persist in water bodies for long periods and pose serious risks to ecological integrity and human health through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Conventional physicochemical methods for metal removal are often costly, energy-intensive, and may generate secondary pollutants. In recent years, phytoremediation using aquatic macrophytes has gained increasing attention as an environmentally sustainable and economically viable alternative for restoring contaminated water systems. The present study evaluates the comparative efficiency of selected aquatic macrophytes in removing heavy metals from polluted water under controlled experimental conditions. Three common aquatic plant species—Eichhornia crassipes, Lemna minor, and Pistia stratiotes—were examined for their capacity to absorb and accumulate lead, cadmium, and chromium from contaminated water. Metal concentrations in water and plant tissues were analyzed before and after treatment using standard analytical techniques. The findings demonstrated significant interspecific variation in metal uptake efficiency, with Eichhornia crassipes showing the highest removal efficiency for lead and chromium, while Lemna minor exhibited superior cadmium accumulation. Root tissues accumulated greater metal concentrations than shoots, indicating their primary role in metal sequestration. The results highlight the importance of plant morphology, growth rate, and physiological tolerance in determining phytoremediation performance. Comparative assessment revealed that floating macrophytes can substantially reduce heavy metal concentrations within short treatment periods, making them promising candidates for low-cost water remediation strategies. This study contributes to the understanding of species-specific phytoremediation potential and supports the use of aquatic plants as biological tools for sustainable management of polluted freshwater ecosystems. The findings may assist in selecting suitable macrophyte species for large-scale wastewater treatment and ecological restoration programs in contaminated aquatic environments.