Brassica juncea and Medicago sativa as Phytoremediators for the Removal of Chromium and Arsenic

This work aims to examine the effectiveness of phytoremediation, a process that uses Brassica juncea (Indian Mustard) and Medicago sativa (Alfalfa) plants to remediate contaminated soil with Cr and Ar. An economical and ecologically appropriate way to remove, immobilize, and degrade contaminants from soil and water is through phytoremediation. With this experiment, plants can grow in a controlled environment with different Cr and Ar concentrations in soil and the addition of organic compost. This entails evaluating the plants’ capacity to absorb metal, monitoring variations in the concentrations of metal in the plants’ roots, stems, leaves, and seeds, and looking into how organic matter affects the efficiency of phytoremediation. The findings showed that plants accumulated large amounts of chromium and arsenic across all experimental plants, but the highest accumulation was observed in the root system, which suggested that the plants were involved in the process of rhizofiltration. The roots pick up much more of the metals than the aerial of the plant, including stems, leaves, and seeds, thereby minimizing metal translocation to the parts of the plant that can be ingested by animals and, in turn, humans. This is a fundamental criterion for phytoremediation for assurance of a safe and effective process. Overall, the present study underscores the ability of phytoremediation in the remediation of heavy metal-polluted soils, especially under the use of organic growing media. It has made me understand the usefulness of this method for the effective and efficient cleaning of the soil in comparison with traditional methods, which could benefit the environment and future cost savings. Further research should be concerned with field-scale experiences and examine the potential of phytoremediation approaches in the range of environmental conditions.