Bioconcentration of Nutrients and Heavy Metals in Eichornia crassipes in Zhejiang, China

The concentration of eighteen nutrients and heavy metals in E. crassipes collected from different sites in the North Zhejiang, China was concurrently studied. The concentration of the elements in whole plants was in the order of K (14896.92 μg g^-1)>P (5775.78 μg g^-1)>S (5596.38 μg g^-1)>Ca (2368.92μg g^-1)>Pb (2380.03 μg g^-1)>Mn (852.90 μg g^-1)>Fe (782.63 μg g^-1) >Al (456.26 μg g^-1)>Zn (134.94 μg g^-1)>Sr (84.73 μg g^-1)>Mo (26.82 μg g^-1)>B>(23.16 μg g^-1)>Cr (10.51 μg g^-1)>Cu (4.64 μg g^-1)>Ni (4.49 μg g^-1)>As (3.94 μg g^-1)>Co (0.96 μg g^-1)>Cd (0.23 μg g^-1). The bioconcentration factor (BCF) of Pb and Al in plant roots were as high as in the order of magnitude of 10⁵, followed by P in whole plant, Pb in shoots in the order of 10⁴, K in whole plant, Co, Cd, and As in roots in the order of 10³, and most of other detected elements in the order of 10². The present study proved E. crassipes as a good accumulator of P, K, and heavy metals, indicated that E. crassipes possessed promising potential of phytoremediation for waste water or eutrophic water. A rapid re-growth ability of E. crassipes makes it possible that frequent harvesting of the plant is necessary to remove the nutrients and toxic metal ions from the polluted environment.