Abstract: Mechanic workshops are one of the major reasons for the environmental influx of heavy metals in the environment. The accumulation and partitioning of Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Zinc and Manganese in Azadirachta indica plants growing on two mechanic workshops (Dass park and Mechanic village) and one control site (farm land) within Bauchi Metropolis were therefore studied, using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, in order to find out their phytoaccumulation potentials. The weighted mean of the metals in the Azadirachta indica plants growing on Dass Park was as follows: Cu (86.87mg/kg)>Zn (63.18mg/kg) >Mn (57.33mg/kg)> (Pb17.04mg/kg)>Cr(7.55mg/kg)>Cd (2.71mg/kg), while in Mechanic Village, the order was: Cu (63.78mg/kg)>Zn(63.44mg/kg)>Pb (31.45mg/kg) >Mn (31.37mg/kg)>Cr (8.05mg/kg) >Cd (1.80mg/kg). The weighted means of the various metals under investigation in the mechanic workshops were higher than those obtained in the control site, but were all within the normal range in soils, except for Cd. ANOVA results showed that significant differences in the metals studied existed among some of the aerial parts of the studied plant. The average concentration factors of Azadirachta indica in the six elements studied at both contaminated sites were in the order: Cu (0.94)>Zn (0.34)>Mn (0.25) >Pb (0.15)>Cr (0.13)> Cd (0.12). The accumulation ability of Azadirachta indica for metals except Cd and Cr were observed to be moderate and high for Cu.
Keywords: phytoremediation, Azadirachta indica, heavy metals, pollution
Title: Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Mechanic Workshops
Author: Chioma Udoka Okeke, Eno Okon Ekanem, Adamu Malgwi Harami
International Journal of Mathematics and Physical Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-5736 (Online)
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