Lead accumulation in White-Mangrove, Avicenniaalba (Blume), inhabiting densely industrial area of East Java, Indonesia - JBES

 

Mr. S. Wilujeng, B.Yanuwiadi, D. Arfiati, and Soemarno from the difference institute of Indonesia, including the Post Graduate Program, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Brawijaya Malang, Indonesia, the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia, and the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, University of Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia wrote a research paper entitled "Lead accumulation in White-Mangrove, Avicenniaalba (Blume), inhabiting densely industrial area of East Java, Indonesia” This research work was published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES under volume 06, May issue 2015. Let’s get some knowledge about this research.

 Abstract

Coastal area of East Java Sea has long been threatened by industrial source pollution, mangrove conversion into shrimp culture, over fishing, destructive fishing, sedimentation, and coastal settlement. Heavy-metal is probably the most threat that directly influencing human health. This study was carried out in two coastal areas considered central to the threat, Kedawang and GunungAnyar. Lead concentration was measured in the water, sediments, and white-mangrove, Avicenniaalba. It showed that heavy-metal has been accumulated in the sediments. Root of mangrove tree can up take and bio-concentrating this lead heavy metal up to 5.74 mg kg-1 dry weight. The concentration in the leaves and seeds were significantly lower as it frequently exuviate, drop down, and regenerated. This metal concentration was higher than the allowable concentration (Ministerial Decree of State Environment No. 51 year 2004). Measures have to be taken in order to maintain coastal area healthy for human population. 

 

 Introduction

As widely common in Southeast Asia (Burke et al.,2002), coastal area of East Java (part of Java Sea) was pervasively threatened due to industrial pollution and coastal development – it receives pollutants from two main rivers in Java, Solo and Brantas. Heavy metals are the most hazardous chemical compounds that always found to be far higher than the standard allowable concentration (Everaarts, 2003,Takarinaet al., 2012). These materials are concentrated in sediments (Atkinson et al., 2007), various edible organisms, such as gastropod, fish (Takarinaet al., 2012,BasygitandTekin-Ozan, 2013) and plants such as mangroves (Casareset al., 2014, Lawson, 2011,Mullaiet al., 2014, Rezvani and Zaefarian, 2011). Various species of wetland plants and mangroves are scientifically proved to be able to up take metal ions, translocation, and degrade it into non-hazardous compounds (Hamadoucheet al., 2012, Li et al., 2014,Nirmal Kumar et al., 2011, Weis and Weis, 2004). 

However, these functional vegetations have been cleared cut and converted into shrimp ponds (tambak system). As shrimp culture was boosting around the 1980s, new tambaks were developed along the coast of East Java, and consequently reducing the healthy population of mangrove forests (Hariatiet al., 1995). Initially, shrimp farming has significantly increased export and national earning. As tambaks growing mature, the production came down and finally collapse, leaving the open space un managed. The concentration of some heavy metals was recently observed to be declining, particularly in the sediment near Jakarta Bay (Hosono et al., 2011,Rina watiet al., 2012). This was due to many strict environmental regulations being enacted recently and strictly implemented in the field (Hosono et al., 2011). In case where nature is not optimally functioning as was before, such as reduced area of mangroves in East Java, the heavy metal pollution will remain in the coastal area. The research was aimed to monitor lead concentration in the water and sediment in two industrialized areas of East Java and to test phytoremediation capacity of white-mangrove, Avicenniaalba (Blume) that still left and dominating in the area. Check out more J. Bio. Env. Sci. 6(5), 319-325.