Phytoremediation Potentials of some Selected Tropical Plants in Aquatic and semi-aquatic environments in Hadejia-Nguru wetlands of North Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

By cultivating green plants that can withstand and/or eliminate contaminating elements, phytoremediation
techniques improve the reduction of unwanted effects and restoration of polluted ecosystems, such as soils
and waters, recovering the soil and its functions. The primary cause of the rise in heavy metal concentrations
in various ecosystems has been human activity. The rise in potentially hazardous elements (PTEs) in the
Hadejia-Jama’are river basin is ascribed to ingredients in agro allied products like
fertilizers,pesticides,herbicides and other manufactured goods like paints and batteries. Mining operations
as well as industrial, municipal, and household waste, are significant contributors of PTE contamination in
the environment. There are currently around 15 million people living in the Hadejia River Basin (HRB) and
theirlives are largely dependent on the water resources in the basin. The climates of the basin are mostly
semi-arid and partially humid. The field of phytoremediation has gained popularity over the last 10 years
as a plant -based remediation technique with the potential to be inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and
low -impact. Water hyacinths (Eichornia crassipes), Poplar ( Populus spp ), alfalfa ( medicago sativa),
kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), Scirpus spp., coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum L.), American
pondweed (potamogeton nodsus), and the emergent common arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) are a few
common examples of plants used in phytoremediation. In order to identify tropical aquatic plants, this work
conducts a systematic assessment of previous research.