The potential of the flora from different

regions of Pakistan in phytoremediation: a

review

Muhammad Aqeel Kamran, Amna,

Rabia Mufti, Nadia Mubariz,
Jabir Hussain Syed, Asghari Bano,
Muhammad Tariq Javed, Muhammad
Farooq Hussain Munis, et al.
Environmental Science and Pollution
Research

ISSN 0944-1344

Environ Sci Pollut Res

DOI 10.1007/s11356-013-2187-7

1 23
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 Author's personal copy
Environ Sci Pollut Res
DOI 10.1007/s11356-013-2187-7
REVIEW ARTICLE
The potential of the flora from different regions of Pakistan
in phytoremediation: a review
Muhammad Aqeel Kamran & Amna & Rabia Mufti & Nadia Mubariz &
Jabir Hussain Syed & Asghari Bano & Muhammad Tariq Javed &
Muhammad Farooq Hussain Munis & Zhiyuan Tan & Hassan Javed Chaudhary
Received: 7 May 2013 / Accepted: 20 September 2013
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013
Abstract Soil and water quality is greatly affected by envi-
ronmental pollution due to the increasing trend of urbanization
and industrialization. In many developing countries, including
Pakistan, the situation is more alarming as no preventive
measures are still taken to tackle the problem. Although in
developed countries, many techniques are used to remediate
the environment including phytoremediation. It is the most
eco-friendly technique in which plants are used to remove
pollutants from the environment. Pakistan has also a great
diversity of plants which could be used for the remediation
of environmental pollutants. To our knowledge, few studies
from Pakistan were reported about the use of flora for
phytoremediation. According to recent literature, 50 plant
species from Pakistan are studied for remediation purposes.
In this review, the potential of different plant species for
phytoremediation from Pakistan has been discussed along
with their comparison to other countries to relate future
perspectives.
Keywords Phytoremediation . Flora . Contaminants . Soil
pollution . Water pollution . Pakistan
Responsible editor: Elena Maestri
M. A. Kamran : Amna : R. Mufti : N. Mubariz : J. H. Syed :
A. Bano : M. F. H. Munis : H. J. Chaudhary (*)
Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences,
Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
e-mail: hassaan_javed@yahoo.com
M. T. Javed
Department of Botany, Government College University,
38000 Faisalabad, Pakistan
Z. Tan
Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, College of
Agriculture South China, Agriculture University,
Guangzhou 510642, China
Introduction
Increased industrialization has led to the massive release of
anthropogenic contaminants into the environment. Widespread
pollutants include hydrocarbons, pesticides, and heavy metals
(solvents and salts) showed a particular concern to the environ-
mental issues and human health conditions. As previously re-
ported, these contaminants were documented in higher amounts,
low soluble in biota, highly toxic in nature, and can affect as
carcinogenic and mutagenic substances (Malik et al. 2009;
Qadir et al. 2001; Muhammad et al. 2011). Continuous applica-
tion of industrial and domestic wastewater in irrigation may
cause heavy metal contamination in soils to undesirable and
phyto-toxic levels. Industrial effluents logging not only
destroyed the structure and fertility of soil but also causes excess
loading of toxic metals from soil to plants, and at the end, heavy
metals reaches human beings through food chain, causing seri-
ous health issues (Muhammad et al. 2011). Land and water
pollution by heavy metals is a worldwide issue. All countries
have been affected, though the area and severity of pollution
vary enormously. In Western Europe, about 1,400,000 sites were
affected by heavy metals of which over 300, 000 were classified
as contaminated. The estimated total number of sites in Europe
could be much larger as heavy metal pollution increased sur-
prisingly in Central and Eastern Europe (Gade 2000; McGrath
et al. 2001). In the USA, there are 600,000 brown fields which
are contaminated with heavy metals and need reclamation (Lone
et al. 2008).
Increasing environmental pollution by heavy metal contam-
inants has also been reported in many developing countries,
including Pakistan (Hardoy et al. 1992; Jamali et al. 2007;
Qadir et al. 2001; Kausar et al., 2012). Extremely higher
concentrations of heavy metals such as mercury (Hg) have also
been measured in the riverine and marine ecosystem of
Pakistan (Tariq et al. 1994; Tehseen et al. 1994; Mubeen et al.
2010). In previous studies, major potential contamination
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Environ Sci Pollut Res

sources for soil and water in Pakistan were from the direct use Table 1 Technologies used for soil reclamation
of fertilizers in the agriculture sector, herbicides and pesticides, Method name Advantages Disadvantages
hazardous substance spills, and a growing problem of waste
disposal of industrial and urban areas. Recent studies showed Phytostimulation Chlorinated solvents High level of
that industrial sludge, phosphate rock used for the production of also have been contamination can be
targeted at toxic to plant.
fertilizers, household waste, industrial waste water, and sewage demonstration sites.
sludge used for irrigation and medical waste incineration are the Root exudates are
major potential sources of heavy metal pollution in Pakistan used.
(Rahman et al. 2007; Jamali et al. 2007; Javed et al. 2009; Phytoextraction The biomass of plant Biomass of plant must
contain extract of be harvested and
Malik and Zeb 2009). Different potentially contaminated areas contaminants can be removed.
were studied and were reported as heavily polluted by heavy reused/resource; Commonly,
metals in Pakistan including industrial soils and sediments from environmental hyperaccumulator
the riverine ecosystem (Qadir et al. 2001; Javed et al. 2009; friendliness. plants have shallow
roots and less
Malik et al. 2010; Mirza et al. 2010; Muhammad et al. 2011). biomass.
The cleaning of heavy metal contamination from different Phytostabilization Low cast, less The contaminants
environmental compartments, including soil, is the most dif- disruptive then other remain in place to
ficult task, particularly on a large scale. Soil is composed of technologies use for prevent leaching and
organic and inorganic solid constituents, water, and a mixture remediation of soil. re-release of different
Restoration of contaminants needs
of different gases present in various proportions. The mineral ecosystem improves special maintenance.
components vary according to parent materials on which the by revegitation.
soil had been developed under a particular set of climatic Phytomining Use for uptake of The disposal of reagent,
conditions. Therefore, soils vary enormously in physical, precious metals, result from achieving
where conventional precious metals is
chemical, and biological properties. Soil water movement is mining is not really a threat to the
controlled by physical properties, such as soil structure and economically environment.
texture. The soil moisture has great bearing on the controlling feasible
solute movement, salt solubility, chemical reactions, and mi- Phytovolatalization In this technique, more Accumulation of
toxic contaminants contaminants in
crobiological activities and ultimately, the bioavailability of transferred to less vegetation which
the metal ions. toxic. Releasing of later passed into
Many phytoremediation technologies have been used for different fruits/eating parts.
the remediation of polluted soils and water throughout the contaminants into Metabolites level
atmosphere increase decreases in plant
world and are summarized in Table 1. Phytoremediation is a their degradation by tissues.
promising technique in which different plant species are used photodegradation.
to assimilate and detoxify metals and organic compounds. The Rhizofiltration This technology is The continuous
use of plant species to treat radionuclide-contaminated soils suitable for ex situ as adjustment of ph is
well as in situ. Both necessary in this
were done in the 1950s, but the term was not introduced till territorial and aquatic technology to
the 1980s. As compared to phytoremediation, traditional tech- plants can be use maintain the flow
niques used for soil remediation are costly and may cause the rate and
secondary pollution. The term phytoremediation was concentration of
influent needs and
coined in 1991 along with the rapid expansion in this field. well-engineered
Phytoremediation can be defined as the use of green plants system. Harvesting
and their associated microorganisms, soil amendments, and and plant disposal
agronomic techniques to remove, contain, or render harmless required.
environmental contaminants (Cunningham and Ow 1996). Phytoimmobilization Immobilize metals in Mycorrhization may not
rhizosphere. appear in respect to
Phytoremediation is a newly evolving field of science and
different plants and
technology to clean up polluted soil, water, and/or air (Salt fungi in some cases.
et al. 1998; Meagher et al. 2000). As compared to congenital
techniques, phytoremediation is environmental friendly and is
a low-cost method (Cheng et al. 2002; Malik 2007). So, in this field. Hyper accumulators are those plant species whose
phytoremediation of heavy metals is not only an economically bioconcentration factor (BCF) is greater than 1,000.
suitable technique, but is also important from a socioeconomic Accumulators are those plants whose BCF are greater than 1
point of view (Bareen and Tahira 2011). but less than 1,000. Excluded are those plants whose BCF are
Various hyper accumulative plant species has been also less than 1. Bioconcentration factor indicates the efficiency of
extensively investigated that lead to the substantial progress a plant in taking up heavy metals from soil and accumulating
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Environ Sci Pollut Res
them in its tissues. It is the ratio of heavy metal concentration
in the plant tissue (root, shoot, or leaves) to that in soil
(Zhaung et al. 2007). It becomes clear that different mecha-
nisms of metal accumulation, exclusion, and compartmenta-
tion exist in various plant species (Prasad 2004). Plants are
susceptible to heavy metal toxicity respond by different phys-
iological and molecular mechanisms to avoid the detrimental
effects of pollutants in a variety of different ways. Toxicity
depends on the type of ion, its concentration, plant species,
and stage of plant growth. Tolerance and hyper accumulation
of metals is based on different mechanisms such as uptake by
the roots, which leads to acropetal transportation through the
xylem up to the plant shoot tissues. Detoxification, chelation,
degradation, transformation, and compartmentation of toxic
metals further take place by cell wall binding, active transport
of ions into the vacuole, and formation of complexes with
organic acids or peptides. Chelation of metals by low-
molecular weight proteins such as metallothioneins and pep-
tide ligands and the phytochelatins, is one of the most impor-
tant mechanisms for metal detoxification in plants appears
(Prasad 2004; Memon and Schrder 2009).
It is important to use the local plant species for
phytoremediation because these plants are often better in
terms of survival, growth, and reproduction under some envi-
ronmental stresses. There has been a continuing interest in
searching for native plants that are tolerant to heavy metals.
However, previous studies have evaluated the phytoreme-
diation potential of native plants under field conditions
(McGrath et al. 2001). Fast-growing indigenous plants with
more biomass are highly desirable for phytoremediation. Flora
from Pakistan has a lot of potential to accumulate different
environmental contaminants. Phytoremediation is a new and
emerging technique in Pakistan but research work is only
done at the lab level. Practical implementation to reclaim the
water and soil sources in Pakistan is very negligible. In
Pakistan, lack of awareness, limited resources, and negligence
of authorities make it a difficult approach to treat contaminat-
ed soils and polluted water via phytoremediation.
The main objective of this review was to explore and
highlight the hidden potential for phytoremediation of local
flora from different regions of Pakistan. It also highlights/
targets the heavy metal-contaminated areas in the country
and the plants naturally grow in different contaminated sites
able to remediate the contaminated soil and water.
Phytoremediation in Pakistan
Biodiversity prospecting would lead to the discovery of wild
plants that not only can clean polluted environment but also
helps in mineral exploration. Published literature indicated
that a wide variety of plants from all over the world have been
tested in the field and laboratory (Glass 2000; Prasad 2004).
Pakistan has unique geography with a variety of climatic
zones with rich floral diversity. Pakistan has more than 6,
000 species of higher plants (Ali and Qaiser 1986).
Presently, more than 400 plant species among angiosperms
have been examined and identified as hyper accumulators all
over the world (Freeman et al. 2004). However, in Pakistan,
only 50 species have been examined and identified as metal-
accumulators to remediate contaminated soil and water
(Table 2). Moreover, the ability of a plant to hyper accumulate
metal may infer some ability to accumulate other metals
(Prasad and Freitas 2000). A map of different locations where
studies on phytoremediation has been conducted is presented
in Fig. 1.
Phytoremediation of polluted water
At present, water contamination by different environmental
pollutants is an alarming issue in Pakistan. About 70 % of
Pakistan's underground and surface water is contaminated by
different pollutants (biological, organic, and inorganic).
Especially, the presence of different heavy metals in drinking
water is a serious health hazard due to their persistent nature
(Halim et al. 2003). Anthropogenic and biological activities
such as mining, fossil fuel combustion, and use of different
pesticide, herbicide, and crop desiccants are the main sources
of increasing the pollution levels in ground water. Due to the
surprising increase in population, domestic use of water is
definitely increasing as well as for agriculture and industrial
demands. Per capita availability of water in Pakistan is already
decreasing to 1,000 m3 and Pakistan is on verge of becoming a
water-deficient country (Kamal 2009).
In Pakistan, water is contaminated by different heavy
metals such as Ni, Cr, As, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cd. Due to the
different industries and other activities, these heavy metals
have an influence on the environment. People are exposed to
these heavy metals through skin contact, breathing, eating, or
drinking. Over the last two decades, discharge of industrial
and agricultural effluents into surface water has become a
matter of concern in Pakistan. Hence, through various indus-
trial operations, contamination of surface water is becoming a
serious issue day by day. The main sources of water pollution
in both surface and ground water are heavy metals, coli forms,
and pesticides (Azizullah et al. 2011). These contaminants
came from different industries, agriculture runoff, and from
anthropogenic activities. However, in Pakistan, there exists no
proper system to remediate this contaminated water through
advance technologies like other developed countries.
Indigenous flora from Pakistan has a lot of potential to
remediate polluted water by using different phytoremediation
technologies. To our knowledge, only few studies are
conducted to remediate waste water by using different plant
species (Qadir et al. 2001; Jamali et al. 2007; Malik et al.
2009; Mubeen et al. 2010; Mukhtar et al. 2010; Hussain et al.
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Environ Sci Pollut Res

Table 2 Details of some of the most representative studies conducted in Pakistan

Study area Sampling Medium soil/water Contaminant Species used/part Reference

year studied

Lahore 2010 Water Cu Calotropis Procera (root) Mubeen et al. (2010)

Abbottabad 2012 Green house Cr Arundo donax (root, shoot) Kausar et al. (2012)
(nutrient solution)
Rawalpindi, Islamabad 2011 Soil Cu, Zn,Pb 23 species were studied but the best Nazir et al. (2011)
ones were Bracharia raptans,
Malvestrum coromendilianum
Lab work 2010 Hydroponic study Ni, Pb Helianthus annus Mukhtar et al. (2010)
Taxila 2010 Soil and hydroponic Ni Eichhornia crassipes Hussain et al. (2010)
Islamabad 2010 Soil Pb, Cu, Zn, 16 plant species tested, the best for Malik et al. (2010)
Co, Ni, Cr phytoextraction were Parthenium
hysteorophorius L. and Amaranthus
viridis L. and the best for
phytostabilization were Partulaca
oleracea L. Brachiaria reptans (L.)
Gard. & Hubb., Solanum nigrum
L., and Xanthium stromarium L.
Lahore, Kohistan region, 2011 Soil Ni, Co, Cr, Cu, Plectranthus rugosus, Rumex hastatus, Muhammad et al. (2011)
Northern Pakistan Cd, Zn, Pb Fimbristylis dichotoma, Heteropogon
conturtus
Review 2011 Soil Pb, Cd Zea mays and Lycopersicon esculantum Naees et al. (2011)
in association with rhizobacteria
Burkholderia
Peshawar, Gujranwala 2010 Soil and water As, Hg Arundo donax Mirza et al. (2010)
Kalashah Kaku 2009 Soil Zn,Cd Saccharum bengalense Rashid et al. (2009)
(wastewater drain Trifolium alexandrinum
(Nullah Degh)) Malvastrum corromandelianum
Desmostachya bipinnata
Dichanthium annulatum
Kasur (Depalpur) 2011 Soil Na, Cr Suaeda fruticosa Bareen and Tahira (2011)
Lahore 2001 Soil Cr Tree species, i.e., Populus euroamericana, Khan (2001)
Acacia arabica, and Dalbergia sissoo
Faisalabad 2001 Soil and water Na Oryza sativa L. and Triticum aestivum L. Qadir et al. (2001)
Abbotabad 2009 Water As Eichhornia crassipes, Pteris vittata, Malik et al. (2009)
Pteris cretica
Hyderabad and 2007 Sludge and waste water Soil Sorghum Jamali et al. (2007)
Nawabshah irrigated soil

2010). Details of each study along with a list of sampling
location, contaminants remediated, and plant species used are
summarized in Table 2.
A study conducted by Qadir et al. (2001) remediated saline-
sodic contaminated water from Faisalabad from the roots of
cultivated plant species such as rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat
(Triticum aestivum L.) along with the application of manure
treatments. Active desalinization and desodication processes
were found in all the treatments (gypsum and manure) and they
reported that the application of manure treatments, efficiency of
rice and wheat roots was increased which can help to enhance
the remediation ability of the above mentioned plants species.
Application of sewage sludge to agricultural land has become a
common practice over the past several decades. Recycling of
sewage sludge in the agricultural fields is generally considered
to be the best practicable environmental option because this
practice is inexpensive, logical, and easy to carry out. A study
was planned to evaluate the biocycling of heavy metals from
sewage sludge by using grain crops such as Sorghum (Sorghum
bicolor) (Jamali et al. 2007). They discussed the uptake of
heavy metals by edible part of the sorghum plant grown in soil
and soil amended with domestic sewage sludge. Analytical
methodology for total heavy metals was based on microwave-
assisted digestion method which is less time consuming as well
as reliable and accurate. The findings of the study indicated that
total sewage sludge metal concentrations do not provide the
best indicator of metal availability to plants and a better corre-
lation was observed between the metals concentrations in edible
part and EDTA-extractable metal concentrations. It is therefore,
concluded from the aforementioned results that assessments of
the impact of heavy metals in untreated sewage sludge required
a measure of extractable as well as total soilmetal
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Fig. 1 Map showing studied sampling sites in Pakistan
concentrations. Nevertheless, toxic elements such as Cd and As
can be accumulated in the plants. According to Moreno et al.
(2003) and Baghour et al. (2001), due to the phytoremediation
of agricultural soil amended with sewage sludge, the plant
material to be considered harmful for human consumption
and its use as animal fodder.
In some areas of Pakistan, a number of shallow aquifers and
tube wells are contaminated with As levels which were found
above the recommended USEPA As quality guidelines.
Adverse health effects including human mortality from drink-
ing water are well documented and can be attributed to As
contamination. A review study by Malik et al. (2009) discussed
the appropriate and low-cost methods for the elimination of As
from drinking water. However, many of the studied techniques
were at the experimental stage and some have not been dem-
onstrated at full-scale. So, it was recommended that a combi-
nation of low-cost chemical treatment like ion exchange, filtra-
tion, and adsorption along with bioremediation may be a useful
option for the removal of As from drinking water. In another
study from Taxila in Punjab Province, phytoremediation tech-
nologies were used to remediate Ni from waste water of Ni-
plating industries through the water hyacinth plant (Hussain
et al. 2010). The results of the hydroponic experiment showed
that the phyto removal of Ni from contaminated wastewater
was 1.954 g/g of dry weight which clearly indicates the
excellent ability of water hyacinth to eliminate Ni contamina-
tion from waste water.
Findings of Mubeen et al. (2010) reported the utilization of
locally available wild plant material for the remediation of Cu
from industrial waste water from Lahore city. They have used
Calotropis procera for the treatment of copper wastes. Roots of
Calotropis procera were used as a biosorbent to remove copper
from known concentration of copper solutions. These experi-
ments were carried out in order to determine some operational
parameters of Cu sorption such as the time required for the
metal-absorbent equilibrium, the effect of change in biomass
quantity, and effect of contact time on percentage removal of
copper. At the end, it was concluded that adsorbent prepared
from Calotropis procera roots can be used for the treatment of
heavy metals in waste waters. The use of synthetic chelator
increased the uptake and translocation of heavy metals in plant
biomass that could enhance the phytoremediation of Ni and Pb
 Author's personal copy
from contaminated water. Keeping in view the heavy metal
exposure, another study was conducted by Mukhtar et al.
(2010). For this purpose, a hydroponic study was designed with
the objectives to evaluate the efficacy of a synthetic chelator in
the uptake and translocation of heavy metals as well as to
evaluate the efficacy of sunflower plant to phytoremediate Pb
and Ni-contaminated water in the absence and presence of
synthetic chelator. The study concludes that the use of synthetic
chelator increased the uptake and translocation of heavy metals
in plant biomass that could enhance the phytoremediation of Ni
and Pb from contaminated water. From aforementioned studies,
it can be concluded that remediation by using different local
plant species have shown promising technique to clean waste
water in Pakistan. Available literature clearly reflected that
indigenous flora is highly capable of remediating the aquatic
environment.
Phytoremediation of Polluted Soils
Heavy metal contamination in the soils has become a serious
environmental issue in Pakistan (Hussain et al. 1996). The
rapid increase in population together with the disposal of
untreated effluents from tanneries and textile industries has
increased the threat of soil pollution (Khan 2001). In Pakistan,
the use of plant species to decontaminate and remediate pol-
luted soils with heavy metals is very scarce and limited.
Transfer of toxic elements from soils to plants in industrial
areas is of great concern (Malik and Husain 2006). To our
knowledge, there have been only a few studies that have
identified heavy metal accumulator or tolerant plant species
from contaminated soils (Khan 2001; Jamali et al. 2007;
Wahla and Kirkham 2008; Rashid et al. 2009; Hussain et al.
2010; Hadi and Bano 2010; Malik et al. 2010; Mirza et al.
2010; Bareen and Tahira 2011; Kausar et al. 2012). Different
studies reported on the phytoremediation of polluted soils
from Pakistan are also summarized in Table 2.
Jamali et al. (2007) studied the mobility and transport of
heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb, from soil
to sorghum plants. The correlation between the total and ex-
tractable metals in soil was investigated. Statistically, it showed
that significant correlations were obtained between the total
contents of all heavy metals and their respective extractable
fractions in soil. In Pakistan, disposal of untreated industrial
effluent from the tannery has resulted in a many fold increase in
chromium (Cr) concentrations in the site near a tannery. A study
was undertaken to compare the total and the diethylene triamine
pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-available Cr contents in the soil and
the roots and leaves of tree species growing on it with those on
the nearby uncontaminated reference site at Kala Shah Kaku,
Punjab Province (Khan 2001). Results showed that polluted
soils were considerably contaminated with higher amounts of
Cr as compared to the reference soil but no correlation was
found between Cr contents in the dried plant tissue and the total
Environ Sci Pollut Res
DTPA-extractable Cr. It was observed that uptake potential of
the plant species, i.e., Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia arabica, and
Populus euroamericana was increased by mycorrhizal infec-
tion (Khan 2001).
In another experiment, barley plant fields were irrigated
with salt (Nacl) water to remediate heavy metals such as CD,
Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn from sludge farms (Wahla and
Kirkham 2008). The findings of the experiment suggested that
irrigation of sludge farms with brackish water should not be
recommended because saline water increased the mobility of
the heavy metals and they can pollute the drainage water.
Assessment of metal contamination in plant samples growing
on contaminated soils from industrial sites of Rawalpindi and
Islamabad was done by Nazir et al. (2011). The results of the
study showed that the study area was moderately contaminat-
ed with Cu and Zn while elevated levels of Pb were also
reported from the studied sites. Among 43 plant species, 23
plant species were evaluated for the accumulation of heavy
metals from contaminated soils. In addition, out of 43 plant
samples, in 24 plant species, the concentrations of heavy
metals were found to be greater in shoots than roots because
plant species differ greatly in their capacity of heavy metal
accumulation in roots and shoots. None of them were identi-
fied as metal hyperaccumulator but considered suitable for
growing in industrially polluted areas as these plant species
can accumulate considerable amounts of heavy metals from
the soil with their shoot and root system and can be used as
potential plant species for cleaning heavy metals.
Hussain et al. (2010) explored the potential of water hya-
cinth as an excellent phyto-remediator of Ni from contami-
nated soils. It was noticed that the fresh weight of plants was
increased when compared with control samples. The results of
the study indicated that increase in fresh weight is due to the
accumulation of Ni contents which favors growth of water
hyacinth. Industrial zone of Islamabad was assessed for total
contents of six toxic metals Viz., Pb, Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, and Cr in
the plant samples of 16 plant species from contaminated soils
(Malik et al. 2010). Total metal concentrations pattern in the
roots followed the trend as; Cu > Cr > Zn > Ni > Pb > Co.
Grasses showed relatively higher total Zn concentration.
Accumulation of Cu was highest in shoots followed by Zn,
Cr, Pb, Co, and Ni. None of the plant species were identified
as hyper accumulator; however, based on BCFs, TFs, and
BACs values, most of the studied species had potential for
phytostabilization and phytoextraction. Per hectare removal
reveals that on bulk level, this technology is good for the
copper-contaminated soils.
Soil and plant samples from Lahore, Kohistan region and
northern Pakistan were analyzed for major cations (Na, K, Ca,
Mg, Fe, Mn) and heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Co).
Samples from the mineralized zone and surrounding areas
were found to be highly contaminated as compared to the
reference site, which can be attributed to the dispersion of
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Environ Sci Pollut Res

Table 3 List of plant species from Pakistan that are capable to remediate potential contaminants

S. No. Plant species Locality in Pakistan *Potential contaminants **References

1 Agrostis castellana Chitral Cs, radionuclides, Al, As, Pb, Zn Rio et al. (2002); Visoottiviseth
et al. (2002); Zhao et al. (2003)
2 Agrostis sp. Colder regions (Northern Pakistan) As, Mn, Pb, Zn Mendez and Maier (2008)
3 Amaranthus retroflexus Dir, Gilgit, Chitral, Swat, Attock, Cd, Cs, Ni, Sr, Zn, Cs Porbska and Ostrowska (1999);
Rawalpindi, Murree, Kashmir, Fuhrmann et al. (2002);
Lahore, Quetta Chehregani et al. (2009)
4 Amaranthus spp. All over the country Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Pb, Zn Prasad and Freitas (2003);
Chehregani et al. (2009)
5 Armeria maritima Punjab Pb Dahmani-Muller et al. (2000)
6 Brassica juncea Hazara, Kaghan, Kashmir, Islamabad, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn Gardea-Torresdey et al. (2005);
Rawalpindi, Quetta, Lahore, Hooda (2007); Singh and
Khairpur, Karachi, Manchar Fulekar (2012)
7 Caltha palustris East Kashmir Ra, U, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb erne et al. (2010)
8 Cerastium fontanum Kashmir, West Pakistan Radionuclides, Cs Entry et al. (1996); Prasad (2004)
9 Cocos nucifera Coastal areas (Sindh and Baluchistan) Radionuclides Entry et al. (1996)
10 Cynodon dactylon All over the country Hydrocarbons Siciliano et al. (2003)
11 Daucus carrota Chitral, Hazara, Abbotabad, Baltistan, Phenols and chlorophenols Araujo et al. (2006)
Jehlum, Kashmir,
12 Eichhornia crassipes Punjab Province (Gujranwala, Lahore, Cr, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Hg, Ghosh and Singh (2005); Mishra
Rawalpindi) Phosphorus Pesticides and Tripathi (2008); Mishra
and Tripathi (2009)
13 Eucalyptus tereticornis Punjab, KPK Cs, Sr, Cr Prasad (2004)
14 Festuca arundinacea Balauchistan (Quetta, Kalat) PAHs, Naphthalene Sun et al. (2011); Schwab et al.
(1998); Huang et al. (2004)
15 Festuca ovina K.P.K, Gilgit, Kashmir Pb Yanqun et al. (2005)
16 Ficus elastic Karachi, Rawalpindi Benzene Cornejo et al. (1999)
17 Helianthus annuus Cultivated crop all over Pakistan Cs, U, Sr, Cd Grato et al. (2005); January et al.
(2008); Prasad and Freitas (2003)
18 Hordeum vulgare From plains up to 4700 in Ladak Al Guo et al. (2004)
19 Hydrilla verticillata Peshawar, Swat, Kashmir, Rawalpindi, Cr, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn, Cs, Sr Kumar et al. (2008); Rahman
Lahore, Manchar, Dand, Thatta, and pesticides and Hasegawa (2011); Dulay
Akbarpura, Saidu sharif, Kashmir, et al. (2010); Prasad (2007);
Munchar, Karachi, Dadu Kumar et al. (2013); Rai (2009)
20 Lemna minor Dal lake, Kashmir, Anchar lake Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd Parra et al. (2012); Rai (2010);
Hou et al. (2007)
21 Lolium multiflorum Balochistan, K.P.K, Peshawar, Hazara, Strontium-90, Cs Entry et al. (1996)
Nathia gali, Quetta
22 Lolium perenne Kashmir, Kurram, Parachinar, Radionuclides, Cs Entry et al. (1996)
Rawalpindi, Murree, Quetta
23 Medicago sativa Chitral, Gilgit, Kalam, Swat, Kashmir, Cr, Cd, Pb zn Gardea-Torresdey et al. (1998)
Rama, Kagan, Hyderabad, Quetta
24 Musa paradisiaca Sindh, Islamabad Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, Pb, Cr, Co, Ni, Cd Anoliefo et al. (2006)
25 Panicum virgatum Punjab, Sindh Atrazine Murphy (2009)
26 Pelargonium Cultivated species in Pakistan Benzene Badawieh (2005)
27 Phalaris arundinacea Punjab, Kashmir, North temperate Cd, Cs, Ni, Sr, Zn Santos-Daz et al. (2007)
regions
28 Pistia stratiotes Punjab, Waziristan Cd, Hg, Cr, Cu Lu et al. (2011); Odjegba and Fasidi
(2004); Ahmadpour et al. (2012)
29 Salix babylonica Chitral, Abbottabad, Kashmir, Peshawar, Ag, Cr, Hg, Se, Organic solvents, McCutcheon and Schnoor (2003);
Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Hassan abdal MTBE, TCE, Cd, Pb, Zn Williams (2002)
30 Salix viminalis Above Mianmarg, Kishan ganga Cd, Ag, Cr, Hg, Se, Petroleum Hammer et al. (2003); Pulford
hydrocarbons, Organic solvents, and Watson (2003); Hermle
MTBE, TCE and by-products, et al. (2007); Mleczek et al.
Pb, U, Zn Potassium (2009)
Ferrocyanide
 Author's personal copy
Environ Sci Pollut Res

Table 3 (continued)

S. No. Plant species Locality in Pakistan *Potential contaminants **References

31 Silene vulgaris Northern areas, Chitral, Kolundi, Zn Brown et al. (1995)

Naran, Kashmir, Dounga gali,
32 Sorghum halepense Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, K.P.K, Cs Entry et al. (1999)
Gilgit, Kashmir
33 Spirodela polyrhiza Peshawar valley, Kashmir, Attock, Cr, Pb, Ni, Zn, Cd Mishra and Tripathi (2008);
Sukkhar, Rohri, Sindh valley, Appenroth et al. (2010); Zayed
Akbar pura, Rawalakot et al. (1998); Kumar and
Chandra (2004); Upadhyay
et al. (2007)
34 Trifolium pratense Chitral, Kaghan, Naran, Balakot, Zn Tlusto et al. (2006)
Kashmir, Lidar valley
35 Trifolium repens Kashmir Radionuclides, Cs Rosn et al. (2005)
36 Triticum aestivum Cultivated crop Pb Nan and Cheng (2001)
37 Typha latifolia Kurram, Inter Chapri Pb, Zn Jacob and Otte (2004)
38 Vallisneria spiralis Peshawar, Attock, Hasanabdal, Cd Vajpayee et al. (2001); Rai (2009)
Sargodha, Sialkot, Dadu,
Thatta, Karachi
39 Vicia faba Rato above astore, Ladak, Saspola, Al Patra et al. (2000)
Gilgit Baltistan
40 Zea mays Cultivated Cs Lombi et al. (2001)

Stewart 1972; Ali 1978; Ali and Qaiser 1986

*Potential contaminants: contaminants that plant species were able to remediate
**References given are for previous studies in which aforementioned plant species were used to remediate respective contaminants

metals due to mining. Furthermore, in mineralized zones, the
Lahore site was more contaminated than others (Muhammad
et al. 2011). Mirza et al. 2010 explored the efficiency of
Arundo donax under both As and Hg stresses. Growth of
Arundo donax is recommended for soil contaminated with
As and Hg. Biomass production and vegetative growth of
plants was higher under As treatments. As and Hg concentra-
tions were high in cell saps of tissue revealing that plants can
extract As and Hg in sufficient amounts. So, Arundo donax
can be adapted as phytoremediation plant in the areas contam-
inated with As and Hg.
Phyto-accumulation prospects of Cd and Zn by mycorrhi-
zal plant species growing in industrially polluted soils were
studied by Rashid et al. (2009). Five plant species such as
Desmostachya bipinnata , Dichanthium annulatum ,
Malvastrum coromandelianum, Saccharum bengalense, and
Trifolium alexandrinum were analyzed for metal uptake.
Consequently, variations in Cd and Zn tissue concentration
among species were observed that also indicate the phyto-
accumulation potential of the local plant species. Furthermore,
comparatively lower soil pH values in the study areas may
have played a key role in making the overall phyto availability
of both metals. Bareen and Tahira (2011) highlighted the
tannery effluent contaminated soil of Kasur, Punjab which
has been rendered infertile due to long-term effluent logging
from the leather industry. Pot experiments were conducted
using the same field soil in column pots with stoppard bottoms
to obtain the leachate. EDTA treatment caused a greater
solubility of Cr in the soil pore water. In higher doses, the
more amount of the heavy metal was leached. The increase in
the amount of EDTA significantly caused a decrease in the
biomass of plants without toxicity symptoms.
Hidden flora potential for phytoremediation
The phytoremediation of metals in various plant species has
been extensively investigated in all over the world and to date,
substantial progress has been made. However, limited data are
available in context to the native flora of Pakistan. As men-
tioned earlier, 400 plant species among angiosperms have
been examined and identified as hyper accumulators from
all over the world. Although the limited data available in terms
of the use of the flora from Pakistan (about only 30 studies
have been conducted to investigate the potential of flora from
Pakistan for phytoremediationTable 2), still a large number
of plant species present in different localities of the country
should be tested for the phytoremediation purposes (Table 3).
Among those unexplored plant species, many of them were
used for remediation purposes in all over the world, i.e.,
Brassica juncea were used by many researchers to remediate
lead (Pd), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) from soil samples (Ebbs
and Kochian 1997; Salido et al. 2003; Belimov et al. 2005;
Zaidi et al. 2006). This species is found in different locations
in Pakistan (Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Lahore, and
Karachi). Many studies reported the assessment of heavy
metals contamination in soil and water samples from
 Author's personal copy
Environ Sci Pollut Res
Pakistan. Younas et al. (1998) and Malik et al. (2010) inves-
tigated that soils from industrial zones of Lahore, Rawalpindi,
and Islamabad has been highly contaminated by heavy metals
such as Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb. Thus, it could be useful to
remediate the above mentioned contaminated locality testing,
for example, Brassica juncea , a plant species commonly
found in these areas (Table 3).
Similarly, Eichhornia crassipes has been found in many
industrial and urban areas such as Gujranwala, Lahore, and
Rawalpindi from Punjab Province. Although this plant species
is not commonly used for remediation purposes but it has been
reported as a heavy metal accumulator (Cr, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb,
Hg, P, Pesticides) from different parts of the world (Verma
et al. 2005; Xia and Ma 2006; Mishra and Tripathi 2009;
Odjegba and Fasidi 2007). Water hyacinth is a promising plant
species for the remediation of natural water bodies and waste
water (Odjegba and Fasidi 2007) and could be tested for the
remediation of heavy metals from contaminated waters all
over the country (Qadir et al. 2008; Saifullah et al. 2009;
Murtaza and Zia 2011; Khattak et al. 2012).
Although many plant species from Pakistan can be tested
as potential phyto-remediators (Table 3), it is possible to
examine the adaptive strategies at high- and low-heavy metal
concentration to identify and explore the responsible genes
that confer such metal tolerance. Genetic transformation leads
to investigate the putative transgenic exposed to heavy metal
stress and successful operation results in the commercializa-
tion (Prasad 2004).
Conclusions and future perspectives
Phytoremediation is a promising technology in the cleanup of
heavy metal-polluted soil and water. Though it is still in the early
stages and not all mechanisms of action are fully understood and
not yet applied at the field level in Pakistan, it can be important
to reduce the pollution with less impact when compared to
conventional technologies. However, a lot of research is needed
to explore new heavy metal hyperaccumulator species, its reme-
diation mechanisms, the influence of microorganisms and addi-
tives to improve the phytoremediation process, develop new
genetically modified plant species and molecular techniques to
boost the knowledge on specific metabolic pathways to
phytoremediation. In Pakistan, soils and waters are generally
simultaneously contaminated with organic and inorganic com-
pounds. One of the most interesting groups of plants dealing
with mixed pollutants are the hydrophytic plants, thus, there is
an excellent opportunity to explore not only these species but
also the rich diversity of plant species present in Pakistan. Being
a developing country, Pakistan had few resources to apply
inexpensive conventional technologies, especially in large con-
taminated areas. New trials should be done in the laboratory and
field level to explore the potentialities of flora from Pakistan.
Authorities should come forward to promote this field of re-
search since Pakistan is facing a tremendous problem of soil and
water contamination. Although it is well known, the crucial
drawback of the heavy metal phytoextractionlong time (tens
of years) to reduce the contamination, it could be a valid
alternative to the expensive remediation technologies or simply
leave the contaminated sites without reclamation and threatening
the population's health.
Acknowledgments We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Elena Maestri
(Editor-ESPR) as well as two anonymous reviewers for their valuable
feedback for our work. We are also thankful to Dr. Sohail Akram and Dr.
Abid Hussain for their time and time guidance.
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