The potential of Pandanus Amaryllifolius as a heavy metal accumulator

• Main Author: Hassan, Muhammad Faidhah
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Teknologi Petronas 2011
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/8946/1/2011-The%20Potential%20Of%20Pandanus%20Amaryllifolius%20As%20Heavy%20Metal%20Accumulator.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/8946/

Over the years, former tin mine site are actively used as agriculture and aquaculture activities. Contamination from past mining activities had been a major concern since the early times when commercial mining were introduced. Studies have indicated that crops cultivated on tin tailings have been found to contain alarming levels of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs). Phytoextraction is the name given to the process where plant roots uptake metal contaminants from the soil and translocate them to their above soil tissues. As different plant have different abilities to uptake and withstand high levels of pollutants many different plants may be used. This is of particular importance on sites that have been polluted with more than one type of metal contaminant. Phytoremediation is an energy efficient, aesthically pleasing method of remediating sites with low to moderate levels of contamination and it can be used in conjuction with other more traditional remedial methods as a fmishing step to the remedial process. In many cases phytoremediation has been found to be less than half the price of alternative methods. Pandanus Amaryllifolius or locally known as 'pandan' can be found rare in the wild and is used widely for cooking and traditional medical treatment. The innovation of technologies has proved that pandan can also be used for insect repellent. This research will look into the potential of using pandan as a heavy metal accumulator in the remediation of contaminated former mining land. The heavy metal in focus is Lead (Pb). The experiment will involve different concentrations ofPb in the soil and analyse the uptake from different part of the plant The concentration for Pb are 2500 ppm, 3750 ppm and 5000 ppm and the parts investigated will be the leaves and root of the plant.