Vetiver plants can absorb large quantities of heavy metals from industrial waste and in the process protect ground water from getting contaminated, a duo of researchers at Kerala University have claimed in a recent study.
In a paper presented at the Kerala Environment Congress 2010, concluded here on Saturday, researchers Jaya D S and Dhanya G have that the penetrating roots of fast-growing
Vetiver or 'Ramacham' plants could be effective removers of hazardous heavy metals from industrial effluents.
As industrial waste pose a great threat to environment, the new finding will become a great boon, the researchers, who are the faculty members of the Department of Environment Science of Kerala University, said.
"If 'ramacham' is planted in the surroundings of the indsutrial firms which flush out metal-rich waste water, the plants will remove the metals from it. Thus the soil and
ground water of the region will be protected without being degraded," Jaya D S said.
Artificial wetlands could be set up around factories and industrial units with large number of vetiver plants in it and thus protect the environment, she said, adding technologies
were also available for the recovery of these metals from the plants.
"Another interesting fact is the plants have shown different efficiency for absorbing different metals. Good results are shown for zinc, lead and cadmium," Jaya said.
The commonly seen plant variety 'Vetiveria Zizanioides,' was used for experiments and study, she added.