BIOACCUMULATION POTENTIAL AND TOXICITY OF ARSENITE USING ROOTED-SUBMERGED VALLISNERIA SPIRALIS IN A HYDROPONIC CULTURE AND ITS CHARACTERIZATION STUDIES

Abstract

In this study, the bioaccumulation technique was used to removal of arsenite from water using naturally occurring macrophyte plant Vallisneria spiralis. Plants were treated in deionized water with nutrient solution at pH 6.8. Experiments were conducted at different concentration of arsenite solution with 0, 0.10, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg As/L as arsenic trioxide (As2O3). After 20 days experiment the highest accumulation arsenite concentrations in roots 9.52 mg kg- 1, dry weight and shoots 36.52 mg kg-1, dry weight treated with 1 mg/L arsenite solutions. Vallisneria spiralis shoot biomass was characterized using SEM-EDX and FTIR. Arsenite translocation and detoxification processes in plant cells in presence of bacterial arsenate reductase enzyme and glutathione. The arsenite accumulation and relative growth of plants on differential concentration of arsenite solutions were significantly increased with the passage of time.