Phytoremediation Potential of Native Plants Growing in Industrially Polluted Soils of Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Rapid industrialization has resulted in the release and subsequent accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in various environmental matrices, which poses serious health threats globally. Utilizing native plant species to extract such HMs from soil may be an efficient and cost-effective remediation approach. Thus, HM accumulation in soil and native plant species in the industrial area of Al-Qassim province, Saudi Arabia, was investigated in this study, and the phytoremediation potential of the native plant species was assessed. Briefly, 30 surface soil samples and 10 native plants samples were collected from 10 different locations in the studied area. Soil samples were analyzed for physiochemical characteristics and HM contents, while the plant samples were digested and HM concentrations were determined. The results showed that Fe was highest in concentration from soil samples (3900–19,600 mg kg−1), followed by Mn, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Cd. Similarly, Fe concentration was also higher in plant samples (432 mg kg−1), followed by Mn (70.2 mg kg−1) and Zn (38.1 mg kg−1). Enrichment factor revealed that 90% of the samples were extremely enriched with Cd, while 20% were highly enriched with Pb. Similarly, contamination factor (5.0–46.9) was also the highest for Cd. Higher bioaccumulation factor (>1) of Phrgmites australis and Chenopodium marale for Cd and Cu, Chenopodium album, Lactuca serviola, and Chenopodium marale for Cu, and Pulicaria crispa for Mn suggested that these native plants can be effectively used for phytoremediation of HMs in soil.