Evaluation of phytostabilization potential of bambusa balcooa roxburgh in heavy metal contaminated soil

Abstract

Heavy metals pollution is one of the most inconspicuous issues in recent times. The accelerated growth rate of human population, industrialization and urbanization leads to an increase in anthropogenic and natural sources of heavy metals contamination in ecosystem. Owing to these, the heavy metals concentration is also increasing and posing serious environmental concerns. In addition to this, the increasing population is also posing serious challenges for meeting the demand for food, water, energy, and land which is diminishing in many parts of the world. To meet the demand of food, many chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used in agricultural soil which is also responsible for the increase in heavy metal contamination in soil. To overcome the current problems, there is an urgent need to remediate the contaminated soil. Several methods have been explored to remediate the contaminated soil out of which, phytoremediation has come out to be an acceptable and feasible method for soil remediation. The current study was designed to evaluate the phytostabilization potential of Bambusa balcooa under heavy metal (As, Cr and Cu) contamination with bamboo biochar amendment. The characterization of bamboo biochar was done through biochemical analysis, BET, FTIR, XRD and FESEM-EDX. The effects of heavy metals on morphology, growth, biomass, ultrastructure, physiological and biochemical properties of B. balcooa were also evaluated. The present study identifies B. balcooa as a promising plant for phytostabilization, effectively remediating heavy metals (As, Cr, Cu) in soil. The results also underscore the potential of B. balcooa for remediating barren and contaminated soil near industrial areas, mines, and smelters. newline