Phytoremediation and absorption isotherms of heavy metal ions by Convolvulus tricolor (CTC)

In recent years, use of plants for remediation of contaminated soils, especially removal of heavy metals, is considered. The current study tends to investigate the removal of lead and nickel ions by the Convolvulus tricolor (CTC), was grown for 30 days in different concentrations of lead and nickel ions. Then concentration of them in soil and different organs of the plant was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. The highest absorbed of them occurred in concentration 0.001N, which highest Pb(2+) accumulation is in the aerial parts of the plant: leaf > stem > root and for Ni(2)+: root > stem > leaf. No ion was observed into the flowers and nickel ion absorption is more of lead ion in different plant organs of CTC. The experimental isotherm data were investigated using isotherms of Langmuir, Freundlich, BET, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich (DRK). The correlation coefficient for all of them is calculated that show the best correlation coefficient for Ni(2+) adsorption is obtained BET model, whereas for Pb(2+) adsorption in root is Freundlich model but for its leaf and stem is BET model. The results show, CTC is suitable for Pb(2+) and Ni(2+) and this technique is in-situ method, simple, and low cost.