A comparative study of evaluating the ability on Eichhornia crassipes and Enydra fluctuans to remove heavy metals in water in Vietnam

This study compares how well two aquatic plants common in Vietnam, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and Enydra fluctuans, remove heavy metals from water. Healthy young plants were collected from the natural environment; for each species, five pots holding 100 g of plants were each dosed with a single metal: Cd and As at 0.5 mg/L, Pb at 2 mg/L, and Zn and Cu at 5 mg/L, and monitored for 30 days. Water hyacinth removed 59.4–92.5% of the heavy metals and Enydra fluctuans removed 40.5–83.4%. Both species continued to grow and develop well in the polluted water. The authors conclude that both plants have high potential for removing heavy metals from water and for helping to improve the ecological environment.