Evaluation of citronella plant potential as a phytoremediator in a lead contaminated soil

One of the major problems of Brazilian agriculture is the contamination of soils as a result of industrial processes, like a toxic metal contamination. Among these contaminants, lead is a heavy metal known to be harmful to human health and the environment. Given these facts, some methods were created to remove these contaminants from the soil, such as the phytoremediation technique. Due to the economic importance that the extraction of citronella essential oil represents and the environmental damage that lead contamination of soil causes to the ecosystem, this study aimed to verify the influence of lead on the development of the citronella plant. The study was carried out in the city of Maringá-PR, at the Unicesumar University Center between May 16, 2019 and September 20, 2019, soil contamination was carried out by irrigation with three increasing dosages of lead sulphate diluted in water (30 mg/L concentration). The treatments were divided into: T1 (without lead sulphate), T2 (3mg lead sulphate), T3 (7mg lead sulphate), T4 (15mg lead sulphate). Through this research it can be concluded that the citronella medicinal plant presented adequate root growth, keep the accumulation of water in the root cells, and in addition, by lead concentrations the citronella showed an increase in the production of its essential oil, which indicate that this plant has a potential for use in the phytoremediation process.