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Phytoremediation of contaminated soil is an environmentally friendly approach to minimize the contamination of nutrients and heavy metals in an ecosystem. Hence, selecting appropriate plants with phytoextraction potential is paramount to remediating the contaminated soils. This study aimed to investigate the nutrient and metal contents of four natural aquatic plants i.e. Cyperus rotundus (L), Eleocharis dulcis (Burm.f.), Typha angustifolia (L.), Schoenoplectus grossus (L. F.) grown in the meadow of a small reservoir at Mankadawala in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, to assess their phytoextraction ability. Nutrient and metal contents in these aquatic plants were assessed using plant and soil samples collected at 32 sampling points in the meadow. Biological concentration, accumulation, and translocation factors were determined to assess element mobility and phytoextraction ability. Total K, Na, Mg, Ca, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, As, Pb, and Cd contents of plants and soil samples were measured using an Inductivity Couple Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometer. ANCOVA, with a mean separation by Bonferroni at a 95% confidence level, was used as a statistical test to assess the best plant type in terms of nutrient and metal absorption. Shoots of the plants exhibited significantly greater values (p1 for all the species, indicating their potential ability to be used as hyperaccumulators. Typha angustifolia, with its' high potential for nutrient and metal accumulation and the highest aesthetic appeal, was selected as the best overall wetland species for phytoremediation purposes.
Rodrigo et al. (Tue,) studied this question.