Chromium ions phytoaccumulation by three floating aquatic macrophytes from a nutrient medium

In the present work, the trivalent and hexavalent chromium phytoaccumulation by three living free floating aquatic macrophytes Salvinia auriculata, Pistia stratiotes, and Eicchornia crassipes was investigated in greenhouse. These plants were grown in hydroponic solutions supplied with non-toxic Cr³⁺ and Cr⁶⁺ chromium concentrations, performing six collections of nutrient media and plants in time from a batch system. The total chromium concentrations into Cr-doped hydroponic media and dry roots and aerial parts were assayed, by using the Synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence technique. The aquatic plant-based chromium removal data were described by using a nonstructural kinetic model, obtaining different bioaccumulation rate, ranging from 0.015 to 0.837 l mg⁻¹ d⁻¹. The Cr³⁺ removal efficiency was about 90%, 50%, and 90% for the E. crassipes, P. stratiotes, and S. auriculata, respectively; while it was rather different for Cr⁶⁺ one, with values about 50%, 70%, and 90% for the E. crassipes, P. stratiotes, and S. auriculata.