Abstract

PENA-SALAMANCA, Enrique J.; MADERA-PARRA, Carlos A.; SANCHEZ, Jesús M.  and  MEDINA-VASQUEZ, Javier. BIOPROSPECTING OF NATIVE PLANTS FOR THEIR USE IN BIOREMEDIATION PROCESS: HELICONIA PSITTACORUM CASE (HELICONIACEAE). Rev. acad. colomb. cienc. exact. fis. nat. [online]. 2013, vol.37, n.145, pp.469-481. ISSN 0370-3908.

Phytoremediation is a process that use plants for the treatment of contamination in the water, soil and air. Surface and Subsurface flow constructed wetlands are the main technological application for water matrix, based in a specific plant type whose main features are hyper accumulate of toxics substances and transformation of these substances through biological properties. Recently, there has been studying the use of native plants such as Heliconia, which it is well-known for ornamental purposes. Recent studies has demonstrated the performance of H. psittacorum for wastewater treatment, based in its removal capacity in terms of DBO₅, DQO and SST (efficiencies >70 %). Those results indicate the importance to evaluate removal efficiencies, plant tolerance and physiological responses under stress conditions. Additional studies are needed to identify the optimal bed design for the treatment of high-strength wastewater in tropical areas.

Keywords : phytoremediation; constructed wetlands; Heliconia; hyper accumulator plants.

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