Efficiency of Salicornia Europea in Phytoremediation of Salt in Saline Water

Abstract

Halophytes are plants able to tolerate high salt concentrations. Among the many applications they have found, one is the phytoremediation of pollutants from the environment. Salt phytoremediation by halophytes is a field of research that has recently attracted the attention of researchers in the field. The present study is devoted to the phytoremediation of salt using the halophytic plant Salicornia europaea. The hydroponic system was employed at three salinity levels (EC~ 2,000, 6,000, and 10,000 µs/cm) with a retention time of 7 days. Electrical Conductivity (EC) and concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride ions were measured before and after treatment with S. europaea. Finally, reductions in the parameter were calculated and reported as percents. The plant was found capable of reducing EC by 16.75, 17.05, and 18.11% for calcium ion concentrations of 28.71, 27.18, and 40.43%, magnesium ion concentrations of 31.64, 25.35, and 17.46%, sodium ion concentrations of 20.41, 17.29, and 23.89%, and chloride ion concentrations of 23.24, 18.84, and 22.16% at EC~2,000, 6,000, and 10,000 µs/cm, respectively. S. europaea is a crop that can be irrigated with saline water. Based on the results of this study, it may be recommended as a potential candidate for salt phytoremediation

Keywords

• Salt Phytoremediation
• Hydroponics
• Salinity
• Salicornia
• Halophyte