Eco-friendly technology to remove heavy metals from waste water using phytoremediation (water hyacinth ): A review

Abstract

Environmental contamination, especially water contamination, is a concern in both developed and developing countries. Contamination of water sources with heavy metals is a critical issue that negatively affects living organisms. Because it is not biodegradable, it is stable in the environment, it has a large dispersion with water, and it can accumulate biologically, so there was a need to remove these minerals from wastewater to the permissible limits, and appropriate solutions had to be found. Phytoremediation is a better alternative than traditional physiochemical and biological methods for treating polluted water containing high levels of heavy metals because of its cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness. Water hyacinth is a floating plant with long roots and green leaves that floats above the surface of the water and is notorious for threatening the survival of aquatic organisms. But it is considered a promising technique for removing pollutants from water, and the plant has been used for various other applications such as the production and generation of ethanol, paper production, and green manure. It was a good support for the technocrats in controlling the growth of this plant, which is a very promising method that removes pollutants with high efficiency and low cost, avoiding many of the drawbacks of traditional methods. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the water hyacinth plant for the treatment of heavy metal contamination in wastewater. This paper also discusses other potential uses of the water hyacinth plant.