Bioremediation using sunflower plant as a hyperaccumulator for soil contaminated with naphthalene

To demonstrate the potential use of the sunflower plant as a hyperaccumulator for soil contaminated polycyclic with naphthalene. Our null hypothesis assumes that sunflower will not remediate naphthalene-contaminated soil. While the alternate hypothesis assumes that sunflower will remove this contaminant. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) to remediate contaminated soil with naphthalene in a field study.

A phytoremediation experiment in pots was conducted at different concentrations were used. Total naphthalene concentrations in the soils after artificial contamination were C1 (130.9), C2 (5380.9), and C3 (11580.9) mg/5 kg.

Naphthalene dissipation from the contaminated soils was significantly higher in most of the planted soils compared with unplanted soils (controls) at different concentrations. Naphthalene dissipation percentage (%) from the planted C1 were significantly different with the highest value (86.73 ± 1.78 a) and unplanted contaminated soil (control) was (72.26 b), which was significantly different (p˂0.05) from that in C2 49.14 ± 3.33 in planted and 17.22% in the case of control while for C3, it was 45.58 ± 3.67 and 32.82% in the case of control. It was not significantly different between C2 and C3. Plant uptake (%) was (18.52 ± 1.77 a) which was significantly different (p˂0.05) from that in C2 and C3, as it was 3.94 ± 0.52 b for C2 and 2.92 ± 0.16 b in C3. Also, it was not significantly different between C2 and C3. using sunflower is an effective technique to remediate the contaminated soils with naphthalene which might contribute to the development of strategies in situ treatments.