Potential absorption of the heavy metal lead (Pb) by mangroves

Madura Island borders the sea with the cities of Surabaya and Gresik. Both cities have dense industrial and port activity, which has the potential to cause heavy metal pollution. The presence of heavy metal pollution in Madura’s strait sea waters will cause losses for shrimp farmers and salt farmers. Mangroves can absorb heavy metals from sediment and sea water, thus having the potential to eliminate pollution in the sea over time. One type of mangrove that grows on the Madura Strait is Rhizophora sp. This research aims to determine the potential of Rhizophora sp. mangroves in the absorption of the heavy metal lead (Pb). The samples used were sediment, root pieces and several leaves of Rhizophora sp. in 5 locations, namely St.1, St.2, St.3, St.4, and St.5. The samples have been tested using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) method to obtain lead (Pb) values. The next stage is to analyze; (1) Lead (Pb) content in leaves, (2) Bioconcentration Factor (BCF), and (3) Translocation Factor (TF) to determine the potential of Rhizophora sp. as a hyperaccumulator plant using the scoring method. The final result obtained was Rhizophora sp. at the sampling locations St.1, St.2, St.3, and St.5 have potential as hyperaccumulator plants that can be considered as lead (Pb) phytoremediation agents in the Madura Strait waters, East Java, Indonesia.