Physico-chemical and heavy metal analysis of effluent wastewater from rold gold jewellery industries and to review on its safe disposal using phytoremediation approach with special emphasis on hydrilla verticillata, an aquatic plant

Abstract

Machilipatnam, the headquarters of Krishna District, is well known for its rold gold jewellery which has a great demand from different parts of the country. The major problem associated with this industry is the discharge of toxic materials and heavy metals through effluent wastewater. The wastewater is characterized by a strong colour and is heavily polluted with high chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), inorganic impurities (calcium, sodium, sulphates, phosphates, nitrates, chromium, copper, cyanide, iron and nickel), dissolved and suspended solids. Because this wastewater is hazardous to human health and as well the environment, it is important to manage it safely. Among various remediation techniques, phytoremediation is a green approach and is widely employed for treating polluted water and soil by growing plants. Aquatic plants play major role in the remediation of contaminated water bodies because of their ability to uptake heavy metals and trace elements in large quantities. In the present paper, the effluent wastewater collected from the treatment plant of jewellery park is analysed for various physico-chemical parameters and for the presence of certain heavy metals. The paper also reviews on the ability of different aquatic plants in bioremediating effluent wastewater from electroplating industries with a special focus on Hydrilla verticillata.