Abstract

Heavy metals are a threat to human health and ecosystem. These days, great deal of attention is being given to green technologies for remediation of metal contaminated soil. Biosorption is one among such emerging technologies, which utilizes naturally occurring waste materials to sequester heavy metals from contaminated soil. In this present study the impact of mercury chloride was analysed. Seedlings of Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper were treated with various concentration of mercury chloride such as 5 mM, 10 mM, 15 mM, 20 mM and 25 mM. After 10 days of treatment various biochemical and enzyme characteristics were analysed. Apart from the biochemical such as glucose, protein, amino acid, the activity of nitrate reductase was gradually decreased with increasing concentration of mercury chloride. But the content of proline, leaf nitrate, catalase and peroxidise activity was in reverse. When optimal concentration 15 mM of mercury chloride was treated with various amounts of the leaf powder of a weed plant namely Martynia annua L. viz., 2 gm, 4 gm and 6 gm, and the filtrate was applied on the same plant. The reduced biochemical and enzyme characteristics due to metal toxicity were found improved considerably. From this study, it was inferred that the biosorbent.

Keywords: Biosorption; Vigna mungo; Mercury; Proline; Leaf nitrate; Catalase; Peroxidise