THE USE OF ACALYPHA WILKESIANA PLANT FOR PHYTOREMEDIATION OF HEAVY METALS FROM LANDFILL SOIL

Abstract

The effective elimination of heavy metals from a polluted environment is of utmost significance, particularly in cases where soil contamination is induced by the discharge of landfill leachate. The contamination of landfill soil with heavy metals has been one of the major concerns for decades. Therefore, identifying potential plants for phytoremediation of landfill soil is unavoidable. This research aimed to analyze soil of an abandoned landfill from Matang Malaysia and to conduct phytoremediation of landfill metal-contaminated soil using the Acalypha wilkesiana plant. Analyses shows that Cd, Pb, Cu, As, Mn, Ni, and Cr were higher than the Environmental Quality Standard of Malaysia. While Zn was found less than the standard, Fe was not detected by the plant. The removal of heavy metal by A. wilkesiana was higher compared to unexposed plants. The highest removal occurred on Mn, Cr, Cu, and Ni with concentrations 10.93, 1.50, 1.30, and 1.10 mg/kg, respectively, which was achieved in 6 months harvesting period. The results also revealed that the bio-concentration and translocation factors of Cu, Cd, Ni, and As were above 1, which means the plant has the ability to accumulate and transfer metals to the shoot of the plant.  The plant has the capability to be used in the phytoremediation of heavy metals from landfill soil.