M. E. Amosah
University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana

D. A. Asare
University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana

E. Anderson
University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana

G. Ofori-Sarpong
University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana

ABSTRACT

The exposure of heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, thallium, and lead, and their interaction with soil and plant are of much concern due to their potential health effect. Among the methods used in the cleaning of soils contaminated with these heavy metals is Phytoremediation, which makes use of various plant species. Arsenic is a carcinogenic substance that thwarts plant growth and causes skin cancer in humans, among other health effects. Although arsenic decontamination by phytoremediation has been reported, the literature is silent about the toxicity and edibility of the plant after arsenic uptake. This paper therefore accessed the toxicity of Colocasia esculenta plant after using it as a phytosorbent for 4 weeks in a simulated arsenic-contaminated soil. The Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) and the Translocation Factor (TF) were calculated after the experiment as 1.43 and 1.60 respectively, indicating its hyper-accumulative property and high translocation of arsenic through the various parts. There was a decreasing trend of arsenic concentration in the solution samples across the weeks, and accumulation of 58%, 28%, and 14% of arsenic in the stem, roots, and leaves of the plant respectively. The results show that Colocasia esculenta is indeed a good accumulator of arsenic from the soil. Comparison of the different arsenic concentration levels recorded in the plant parts with standards indicates great concern in consuming this plant exposed to an arsenic-contaminated environment. However, further studies should be conducted to ascertain the state of arsenic in the plant parts after its uptake.

Keywords: Phytoremediation, Arsenic, Toxicity, Contaminated soil, Colocasia esculenta