Lead Uptake of Peppermint (Mentha piperata) Grown on Simulated Polluted Soil

Lead is one of the important heavy metal contaminants of soil, previously recognized to pose both health and environmental hazards.One of current technologies being developed to address the problem is phytoremediation, a process wherein it utilizes the adsorbingcapacity of plants to uptake metal cations from the soil. In this study, the primary objective is to determine the effect on thephytoextraction capability of Peppermint (Mentha piperata) , a plant known to bioaccumulate heavy metals, by subjecting a number ofsamples to varying lead concentrations and time exposure. It has been found out that as the concentration of lead increases, the heightand weight of the plant decreased. This is explained by the possible destruction of thylakoids, which is necessary for food production.The quantification of lead content of the soil in which the plant was cultivated was performed by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopyshowing a decrease in concentration in all treatment groups, with a significantly higher decrease at day 40. The accumulation factorwas also computed resulting in values ranging from19-22 and 14-16 for the 40 day old plant and 60 day old plant respectively,confirming the plant’s ability to uptake lead contaminants in soil and be used in phytoremediation of soil contaminated by lead in thefuture.