Determination of heavy metals uptake by acacia Mangium grown in ex-mining area in Kg Gajah, Perak / Nor Fadilah Chayed

Heavy metals content of chromium, copper, iron, lead, and nickel in Acacia mangium in
a former iron and tin mining land at Kampung Gajah, Perak were determined. Heavy
metals content were determined in three plant component namely roots, stems and
leaves. 19 Acacia mangium plants were collected for analysis from twelve different
locations. The heavy metals content in plants sample were extracted by using wet
digestion method using the mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Heavy metals
content in solution extract of plant sample were determined with Flame Atomic
Absorption Spectrometer. The analyses indicate that the concentration of iron in the
plant sample is the highest followed by chromium, copper, lead and nickel. Roots show
highest content of heavy metals followed by leaves and finally the stems. As expected,
those location which contained higher levels of heavy metals which is near to the mine
area showed to have higher heavy metals uptake by various parts of Acacia mangium.
These data demonstrate Acacia mangium’s ability to uptake heavy metals such as
chromium, copper, iron, lead and nickel from ex-mining area.
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