A Green Approach to Landfill Remediation: The Efficacy of Indigenous Zygophyllum coccineum L. and Leptadenia pyrotechnica L. in Phytoremediating a Heavy Oil Flay Ash-contaminated Landfill in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia
This study investigated the impact of the heavy oil fly ash landfill at Rabigh governorate, Saudi Arabia, on the growth and heavy metal accumulation in the indigenous plants Zygophyllum coccineum L. and Leptadenia pyrotechnica L. Samples of these two plant species together with the soil were collect...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | HortScience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/60/3/article-p287.xml |
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| Summary: | This study investigated the impact of the heavy oil fly ash landfill at Rabigh governorate, Saudi Arabia, on the growth and heavy metal accumulation in the indigenous plants Zygophyllum coccineum L. and Leptadenia pyrotechnica L. Samples of these two plant species together with the soil were collected from inside the landfill and at distances of 250, 500, and 1000 m away from the landfill in the north, east, west, and south locations. Data of the fresh and dry weights of the plant samples (aerial parts and roots) were collected and elemental analyses of the plant samples were conducted. The results showed that vegetation within the landfill exhibited the lowest overall fresh and dry biomass values of aerial and root parts. However, growth progressively improved with the increasing distance, with maximum growth reached at 1000 m from the landfill. Metal concentrations were highest in the samples collected from inside the landfill, and they diminished with increasing distance away from it. Plants located in the south exhibited the greatest metal deposition. Roots consistently surpassed aerial parts in terms of metal accumulation, both proximally and distally. Sulfur, aluminum, and iron were the predominant elements accumulated in Z. coccineum and L. pyrotechnica plants across all sites and distances from the landfill. The sequence of heavy metal concentrations from highest to lowest in the roots and shoots was as follows: sulfur > aluminum > iron > zinc > manganese > nickel > chromium > vanadium > copper > cobalt. The plants exhibited elevated chromium levels that surpassed the European Union (2002) requirements; however, they remained below Indian regulations. Zinc concentrations, however, exceeded both the European Union and World Health Organization (WHO)/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines. All other heavy metals were within the permissible levels established by the WHO/FAO, European Union, and Indian regulations. The translocation factor for heavy metals from roots to shoots was less than one for all 10 metals, signifying metal build-up in roots relative to the shoots. It could be concluded that there is a significant relationship between the plant growth rate and magnitude of metal accumulation. Plants with the lowest growth rate exhibited the highest heavy metals accumulation, as seen at the southern location, whereas plants with the highest growth rate (those at the northern location) had the least metal accumulation. This phenomenon highlights the potential of these plants for phytoremediation and phytostabilization to extract deleterious heavy metals from contaminated landfill soils. |
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| ISSN: | 2327-9834 |