Biochemical and physiological responses of Alternanthera ficoidea (L.) R.Br. in chemical-enhanced phytoremediation of cadmium and chromium

Heavy metals in the environment and health have been an ongoing worldly menace. Phytoremediation, a green technology, makes use of heavy metal-accumulating plants for the remediation of metal-polluted sites. This work looks at using the plant Alternanthera ficoidea to help remove heavy metals, specifically cadmium and chromium, from polluted areas with the help of chemicals. Greenhouse experiments were done using SDS and EDDS chemicals to see how A. ficoidea reacts to different amounts of cadmium and chromium. The physiological and biochemical effects of the metals on the plant were evaluated based on biochemical responses such as protein content, total phenol content, chlorophyll content, carbohydrate content, and proline accumulation. The results indicated that A. ficoidea could accumulate heavy metals at concentrations of 240.61 ppm of chromium and 388.7 ppm of cadmium in plant tissues. Physiological and biochemical responses were quite diverse depending on the metal stress, wherein protein content decreased from 15.4 mg/g FW to 18 mg/g FW, chlorophyll content decreased from 0.8 mg/g FW to 1.2 mg/g FW, and proline accumulation increased from 2.5/.mol g FW to 5.5/.mol g FW. The use of chemical agents improved the efficiency of plants in removing metals. The results showed that adding either 2% SDS or 0.1% EDDS increased the effectiveness of this process. In addition, total phenol content increased from 0.96 mg/g GAE to 1.8 mg/g GAE in treatment and carbohydrate content from 22 mg/g FW to 32 mg/g FW. This study found that A. ficoidea may be a good plant for cleaning soils contaminated with cadmium and chromium. Finding new chemical methods for using plants to clean up cadmium and chromium can greatly improve how much of these metals’ plants can absorb. In summary then, these findings provide key insights into the chemical phytoremediation of cadmium and chromium for sustainable use.