Phytoextraction of endosulfan a remediation technique.

Endosulfan is a cyclodiene insecticide used all over the world for the control of various insect pests on variety of food and non crop products. Despite judicious use endosulfan has been detected in atmosphere, soil, water, sediment, surface water rain water and food stuffs, which is of concern. In view of the above the use of mustard and maize plants as potential phytoremediation inputs have been evaluated. The potential of mustard (brassica campestris Linn.) and maize (Zea Maize) to remove a organochlorine pesticide endosulfan was investigated. The disappearance rate constants of endosulfan from soil were 0.03684, 0.23490 and 0.17272 day(-1) for unplanted treatment, planted with mustard and maize, respectively, which implied that plant uptake and phytoextraction with maize and mustard contributed 47.2% and 34.5%, respectively and other degradation processes took up 38.7% and 35.9%, respectively to the removal of the applied endosulfan from soil. The accumulated endosulfan decreased by 55%-91% in soil after growing the crop plants in soil, suggesting that plant uptake and phytoextraction might be the dominant process for endosulfan removal by the plant. This plant might be utilized as an efficient, economical and ecological alternative to accelerate the removal and degradation of agro-industrial wastewater polluted with endosulfan.