Uptake of Chromium by Portulaca Oleracea from Soil: Effects of Organic Content, pH, and Sulphate Concentration

Phytoextraction is an effective and environment-friendly approach for remediation of soil polluted with toxic metals.Portulaca oleraceais a potential hyperaccumulator of Cr(VI) from polluted soil. In this study, the effect of soil organic content, pH, and sulphate concentration on phytoextraction of Cr(VI) usingPortulaca oleraceawas investigated. Seedlings ofPortulaca oleraceawere grown in soils with (i) three organic content compositions, (ii) six levels of pH, and (iii) six concentrations of sulphate salts; all were irrigated with Cr(VI) solutions at 200 ppm concentration. Chromium concentration in different tissues of plants was monitored under the variant conditions. Results indicated that the uptake of Cr(VI) byPortulaca oleraceais favoured at (i) low organic content soil (0.42%), (ii) slightly alkaline pH range (similar to 8), and (iii) with sulphate concentration in the range of 300-600 ppm.