Assessment of Biodrainage Potential of Existing Plant Species Along the Sewage Drains of Vedapatti Drainage Stretch, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

The proper disposal of manufacturing and consumer waste, including sewage sludge, is one of the numerous environmental issues facing today's society. In addition to posing serious health concerns to humans, anthropogenic activities are a major source of environmental pollution and can result in an overabundance of pollutants entering the terrestrial ecosystem. The goal of the current study was to determine how existing tree and plant species near sewage drains were affected by the bioaccumulation of carcinogenic metals (Cd, Ni, Co, and Cr) together with other heavy metals. These heavy metals found in the sewage are hazardous to the health of both people and the environment. To further understand how well these plant species adapted to the metal-contaminated soil, many biological parameters, including stomatal density, leaf length, leaf area index, and stress hormone levels, were investigated. For every species included in the study, soil samples were taken near the sewer drains and the rhizosphere. The plant species' leaves and roots (where feasible) were also harvested. To check for metal buildup in the wood, various tree species had their trunks harvested. All of these samples go through an acid digestion process using an aquaregia combination. Following digestion, the samples are examined using Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (MP-AES) for the presence of heavy metals. In this study, we briefly address the findings on the accumulation of heavy metals by certain plant species.