Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) as potential macrophytes to remediate acid mine drainage (AMD)

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Research Paper 01/11/2018
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Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) as potential macrophytes to remediate acid mine drainage (AMD)

Justin Rhea F. Osa, Dennis A. Apuan
Int. J. Biosci. 13(5), 161-167, November 2018.
Copyright Statement: Copyright 2018; The Author(s).
License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Abstract

One of the serious environmental problems in mining industry is Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) after mineral sulfides are exposed for oxidation-reduction. Acid water from AMD has devastating effect on aquatic natural resources and caused toxicity in plants, but here macrophytes were tested for its capability of increasing water pH. In an experiment following Completely Randomized Design involving five treatments replicated four times: T0Typha latifolia (Cattail), T1Centella asiatica (Gotu kola), T2 Ipomoea aquatica (Water spinach), T3Eichhornia crassipes (Water hyacinth), and T4Bacopa monnieri (Water hyssop), it revealed that I. aquatica significantly increased the pH by 81%. It is as effective as T. latifolia (Cattail) – the control, in increasing pH of AMD after Analysis of Variance and Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT). A macrophyte Ipomoea aquatica (water spinach) therefore has the capacity to neutralize acidity in an Acid Mine Drainage (AMD).

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