ABSTRACT
Tannery pollution is one of the biggest threats to mankind which has increased the risk of leading a healthy lifestyle for common man with the uncontrolled discharge of tannery contaminants into the environment. Also, environmental pollution occurs since it contains all types of chemicals, both organic and inorganic. The manufacturing of leather goods, boards and fur produces various by-products and enormous quantities of wastewater containing solid wastes like animal wastes, heavy metals and several organic toxins. Also, heavy loads of harmful gases are given out from these industries. The wastewater generated from these industries is saline in nature. The conventional treatment technology where chemical methods such as coagulation and flocculation are observed is found to be less practical in the elimination of organic toxicants. Moreover, these methods will produce a huge volume of sludge with high installation cost. To overcome these drawbacks, phytoremediation method is introduced to treat soak effluent using the plant Salicornia brachiata Roxb – Chenopodiaceae, water hyacinth, Vetiver and Sesuvium portulacastrum – Aizoaceae. Phytoremediation is a novel technological advancement for environmental reclamation. Since it uses halophytic plants for remediation, the method can be certified as an eco-friendly, cheap and effective technology in the clean-up process. Salicornia brachiata is salt tolerant so both neutral pH and alkaline pH conditions allow the plant to thrive well. Sesuvium portulacastrum is also an excellent salt-tolerant and pH-tolerant species (acid, neutral and alkaline). It is a pioneer plant species used for sand-dune fixation, desalination and phytoremediation along coastal region. The plant tolerates abiotic constraints such as salinity, drought and toxic metals.
