ABSTRACT
The present chapter presents the phytoremediation efficiency of wetland plants in microcosms as well as the field condition. These investigations on wetland water and plants revealed that all emerging contaminants in field conditions (metals/metalloids in our case) were present in trace amounts (in water and vegetation/selected global wetland plants, i.e., Eichhornia crassipes, Lemna minor, Salvinia cucullata, and Pistia stratiotes) and only Fe was recorded above permissible limits in the wetland of a global biodiversity hotspot. Further, during microcosm research, the design efficiency of these four macrophytes was compared using different Fe concentrations for 4, 8, and 12 days. It was concluded from the microcosm research that E. crassipes was the most efficient macrophyte, whereas L. minor was the least efficient in the context of Fe phytoremediation. E. crassipes removed the highest percentage of Fe, that is, in the range of 73.2%–89%, from varying concentrations. The concluding remarks on the research investigations of this global biodiversity hotspot are mentioned concisely. Finally, an eco-sustainable model and diverse applications/utilities of wetland plants are discussed for eco-management of this site of global and ecological relevance.
