Removal of Heavy Metal Pollutants

by Wetland Plants

Therese Frauendorf
Aquatic Conservation: Global
Freshwaters, Science, and Policy
 Overview
• Introduction
• Mechanism of Heavy Metal Removal by
Wetland Plants
• The Effectiveness of Constructed
Wetlands Compared to Wastewater
Treatment Plants
• Conclusion
• Questions
 Introduction
• Goals
 Understand how heavy metals are
removed from the water by wetland
plants
 Understand the effectiveness of
wetland plants
• Wetlands: a lowland that is saturated
with water
• Heavy Metals in Water: Lead,
Cadmium, Zinc, Mercury, Nickel, www.arcatapet.com

Copper
• Most Studied and Effective Heavy
Metal Removal Plants:
 Water hyacinth (Eichhornia
crassipes)
 Cattails (Typha)

www.prairierootsphoto.ca
 Overview

• Introduction
• Mechanism of Heavy Metal Removal
by Wetland Plants
• The Effectiveness of Constructed Wetlands Compared to
Wastewater Treatment Plants
• Conclusion
• Questions
 Plant Requirements
• Heavy Metal Tolerance
(Natural Selection) →
metal specific
• Shallow-rooted Plants:
high metal uptake rate
• Deep-rooted Plants: small
metal uptake rate
• Emergent vs. Surface
Floating Plants

• Heavy Metal Absorbance Rate: roots > rhizomes > shoots > leaves
 Mechanism: Roots & Rhizomes
• Extended Root System Cu2+ H2O
Hg2+
fractionates & dissolves Cd 2+

Organic Matter
→ decreases Turbidity
Zn2+
→ increases Electrical
H2O
Charges
• Optimize uptake by: pH, Pb2+
organic matter content,
temperature, redox Diffusion: Cations
potential, turbidity Osmosis: Water
 Mechanism: Leaves, Petioles &
Shoots
• Passively absorbed → Stoma A
Cells & Cracks in Cuticle
 Apparent Free Space (AFS):
→ Water Free Space: (WFS)
absorbs H2O molecules & free
mobile ions
→ Donnan Free Space:
(DFS) absorbs free mobile
ions through cell wall
 Actively absorbed → B
Cytoplasm: move into
vacuoles & various other cells
via Plasmadesmata

decrease in cell size

A. Cross section of leaf of water hyacinth control plant

B. Cross section of leaf of water hyacinth experimental plant (100x)
(Mahmood et al 2005).
 Translocation
• Transport of Solutes in Plants
• Movement of Metal Containing Sap
from Root to Shoot
 Takes place by root pressure or leaf
transpiration
 Slower than absorption by roots →
limiting factor in uptake of metal
• Movement of Oxygen from Shoot
to Root
 Induces Oxygen leaks to the Metals O2
reduced environment
 Promotes Oxyhydroxide (Fe3, Mn2) or Phloem

release → absorption sites for

heavy metals O2
Metals

Oxyhydroxide
www.rib.okayama-u.ac.jp/plant.stress
 Plant Aid
• Plant metallothioneins: induced by metals like Cd and Cu
and are part of the plant’s tolerance
 Participate in uptake, transport and regulation of metals →
Thionein protein binds to metal for transportation
 Detoxify mercury and other heavy metals by binding to them
• Rhizospheric bacteria and fungus increases feasibility
and efficiency of phytoremediation by promoting
accumulation of metals
• Additional treatment with antibiotic Oxytetracycline
(OTC) increases efficiency further (So et al 2993)
• Microorganisms + Plants = Biosorption
Passive & metabolism-independent mechanism that removes
metals by interactions with microbial biomass
 Overview

• Introduction
• Mechanism of Heavy Metal Removal by Wetland Plants
• The Effectiveness of Constructed Wetlands Compared
to Wastewater Treatment Plants
• Conclusion
• Questions
 The Benefits and Costs of an
Artificial Constructed Wetland
Pros: Cons:
• Aesthetics • Susceptible to
• Habitat Creation for Climate and Disease
Wildlife • Limited Life
• Increased Cost- Expectancy
Efficiency • Creation of Toxic
• Little Maintenance Wetlands
 Tres Rios Constructed
Wetlands
• Demonstration Project near
Phoenix, AZ
 Upgrade of Water Treatment
Plant:
$625mill
 Cost of creation of the Wetland:
$3.5mill
 Cost of Water Treatment Plant
Maintenance/Month:
$1000
 Cost of Wetland
Maintenance/Month:
“little to nothing” (Gelt 1997)
• Project for Treatment of Organic
Matter → Estimate for Heavy
Metal Removal
• Water Hyacinth & Cattails – high
reproductive rate and very
inexpensive (Weeds)
(Gelt 1997)
 Toxic Wetlands?
Try to transform toxic heavy metals into mobile forms by
changing physical & chemical characteristics:
• Concentrating heavy metals in plant for convenient
extraction → proper disposal or reuse of heavy metals →
ex: Water Hyacinth
• Detoxification:
 Metallothioneines
 Balance of surface charge by free floating anions (HPO42-) and
cations (K+)
 Ingestion and metabolistic use of toxic metals by
Microorganisms ?
 Problems
• High concentrations of Heavy Metals can
be toxic to plants → decrease of plant
growth
→ harvesting of plants
• Disposal of accumulated metal stored in
plants → need of another disposal facility?
 Conclusion
• Wetland plants limit the spread of Heavy Metals by storing them
• The basic mechanism of Heavy Metal uptake by wetland plants
like the water hyacinth and the cattails is well known
• Further Research needs to be conducted:
 Conduct a study to see the effectiveness of wetlands removing heavy
metals compared to a wastewater treatment plant
 Key role of the collaboration between wetland plants, microorganism and
bacteria to maximize uptake
 Cost-effective method to increase uptake (OTC)
 Develop a cost-effective and efficient way to dispose wetland plants
containing heavy metals
 Increase detoxification of Heavy Metals (Metallothioneins)
Questions

?
 Citations
• Briggs, G.E., and R.N. Robertson. 1957. Apparent free space. Annual Review of Plant
Physiology 8: 11-12.
• Gelt, J. 1997. Constructed wetlands: using human ingenuity, natural processes to treat
water, build habitat. Arroyo 9 (4): 23-37.
• Heathcote, I. Dr. 2000. Artificial wetlands for wastewater treatment. Pearson Education
Company. Prentice-Hall Inc, New Jersey, USA.
• Karbiscak, M.M, L.R. Whiteake, J.F. Artiola, and K.E. Foster. 2001. Nutrient and heavy
metal uptake and storage in constructed wetland systems in Arizona. Water
SciTechnol. 44 (11-12): 455-462.
• Kong, K.F., and J.S.H. Tsang. 1998. Nucleotide sequences of cDNAs (Accession nos.
AJ010160, AJ010161 and AJ010161) encoding a Type 2 metallothionein-like protein from
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• Mahmood, Q., P. Zheng, R.M. Siddiqi, E. ul Islam, R.M. Azim, and Y. Hayat. 2005.
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(10): 991-998.
 Citations
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