The rate of absorption of cadmium in roots of jute (Corchorus Olitorius) grown on polluted soil

Abstract

Understanding the reactivity and mobility of heavy metals in soils and vegetables is indispensable for assessing their potential risk to the environment, animals and humans. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that may be detected in soils and plants. Jute, as a vegetable consumed by over 60% of the western population in Nigeria, may uptake a high quantity of Cd through its roots and translocate Cd to the shoots and leaves thus posing risks to human health. In this study, batch kinetic experiments were performed to assess the absorption and accumulation of Cd in Jute’s root. A pot culture experiment was conducted to determine Cd uptake by roots of the vegetable from polluted soil within the seventy-one days of growth period. The results showed that the amount of cadmium ions (Cd²⁺) in the roots increased with time in a polynomial fashion. The kinetic model for the rate of absorption was found to be a second order kinetic. The experimental values of the concentration of cadmium in the roots of Jute vegetable were in overall agreement with the values predicted by the model, with variations in the range of 1.5% to 10.4%.