AccScience Publishing / AJWEP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/AJWEP025150105
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Submerged hydrophytes as a tool for the removal of heavy metals

Wesal Suliman Tanko1 ,  Fauzeya Mateq Albalwe2 ,  Asmaa A. Bakr3 ,  Ali M. Ali4,5 ,  Rashid Ismael Hag Ibrahim4 ,  Ahmad. M. Abdel-Mageed6 ,  Ismail M. A. M. Shahhat6 ,  Salma Yousif Sidahmed Elsheikh6 ,  Hebat-Allah Ali Hussein1 ,  EL-Sayed M. Qaoud7 ,  Safia M. Ezzat8 ,  Maha M. Elshamy9 ,  Mohamed A. Abdein10* ,  Elsayed M. Nafea11
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1 Department of Science and Technology, University College at Nairiyah, University of Hafr Al Batin, Nairiyah, Saudi Arabia
2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
3 Department of Microbiology and Botany, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt
4 Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
5 Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Minia University, Minia, Egypt
6 Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia
7 Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
8 Department of Statistics, Faculty of Commerce, Al-Azhar University, Girls’ Branch, Cairo, Egypt
9 Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
10 Department of Seeds Development, El-Nada Misr Scientific Research and Development Projects, Turrell, Mansoura, Egypt
11 Department of Aquatic Environment, Fish Resources Faculty, Suez University, Suez, Egypt
AJWEP, 025150105 https://doi.org/10.36922/AJWEP025150105
Received: 8 April 2025 | Revised: 28 April 2025 | Accepted: 7 May 2025 | Published online: 8 July 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Aquatic macrophytes serve as a remarkable biological filter. By absorbing the dissolved metals and pollutants through their tissues, they can efficiently detoxify water streams. The majority of human activities result in the discharge of toxic substances, including heavy metals, as byproducts into water, sediments, and the environment. This study assesses the efficacy of the usage of submerged aquatic macrophytes, such as Ceratophyllum demerssum L. (Family: Ceratophyllaceae) and Potamogeton pectinatus L. (Family: Potamogetonaceae), gathered from El-Burullus Lake, which is located northeast to deltaic vicinity of Egypt, to purify waste-polluted water from heavy metals: cadmium, lead, zinc and manganese. Concentrations of these metals in the wastewater samples were measured by means of atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results showed that C. demerssum has an elimination performance of 63% for heavy metals studied, which was lower than that of P. pectinatus measured at 75%. Therefore, aquatic macrophytes studied are promising candidates for remediating wastewater, comparing extent of eco-toxicity, and preventing pollution occurring in the aquatic environments.

Keywords
Wastewater treatment
Potamogeton pectinatus L.
Ceratophyllum demerssum L.
Bioremoval of pollutants
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare there are no actual or potential competing interests.
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Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, Electronic ISSN: 1875-8568 Print ISSN: 0972-9860, Published by AccScience Publishing
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