Efficacy of Chelating Agents in Phytoremediation of Cadmium Using Lemna minor (Linnaeus, 1753)

Free floating aquatic macrophyte namely Lemna minor (Linnaeus, 1753) was exposed to different concentrations of cadmium (1, 5 and 10 mg/L) for a period of 30 days to evaluate its cadmium (Cd) accumulation capability in the presence of chelating agents such as EDTA and citric acid. The chelating agents were added at the rate of 1, 2 and 3 mg/L separately and the experiment was conducted in triplicate. The water and plant samples were collected at 15 days interval for the analysis of cadmium. There was a significant difference in the Cd uptake (P<0.05) by the plant in the presence of chelating agents when compared to the control. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) of cadmium by the plants showed an increasing trend in the presence of chelating agents. The percentage uptake of cadmium by L. minor in the presence of EDTA was significantly higher than that of citric acid (P