Phytoremediation of soil spiked with crude oil using Acalypha wilkesiana plant

Abstract

In this study, the phytoremediation potential of Acalypha wilkesiana for soil spiked with crude oil was investigated. The plant cuttings were grown on uncontaminated soil and then transplanted to spiked soil mixed with 50 mL of 1500 mg/kg crude oil under greenhouse conditions. The weight and growth rate of A. wilkesiana were not affected by the concentration of crude oil in the soil. The results obtained within 2 - 10 months clearly shows the tolerance of A. wilkesiana grown on crude oil spiked soil with percentage growth of 98.7%. There was an increase in the plant dry biomass, root length, stem height and stem diameter of the samples compared to control samples. A gradual increase in the absorption, accumulation and translocation of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the root and leaves of A. wilkesiana was noticed. The concentration of alkane absorbed on 10 months harvesting were ranged between 1.0-160.0 mg/kg and 1.0-120.0 mg/kg in the root and leaves, respectively. The gradual and moderate absorption rates of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the plant samples implies that A. wilkesiana could be one of the promising plant candidates to be used for the phytoremediation of soil contaminated with a little amount of crude oil.