PHYTOREMEDIATION POTENTIAL OF WILD PLANTS

<p>Phytoremediation with wild plant species could be an environmentally friendly and economical<br />solution. Selected wild plants like mint, oregano, chamomile, nettle, and St. John’s wort, from rural<br />areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were collected, lyophilized, and acid-digested for heavy metals<br />analysis. Nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese<br />(Mn), and lead (Pb) were determined by using an Atomic Absorption Spectrometry-flame<br />technique. Results showed that some of the investigated wild plants have a high content of<br />multiple heavy metals. This work showed that collected wild plants can accumulate heavy metals<br />and could be used for the phytoremediation of multi-metal-contaminated soil.</p>