An Insight into the Physical and Chemical Status of Salon Effluent Impacted Soil Seeded With Stubborn Grass

Soil polluted with salon hair effluent was seeded with stubborn grass (Sida acuta) and studied for 90 days to determine the physical, chemical and trace metal status. Soil samples were collected twice a month from pristine soil (PS), un-remediated salon effluent polluted soil (EPS) and salon effluent polluted soil seeded with stubborn grass (SGT) and subjected to physical and chemical analysis using standard procedures. Trace metals were analysed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results showed improved soil pH (weakly alkaline status), low total organic carbon, nitrate, phosphate and sulphate, Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu in SGT compared to EPS. There were no impactful differences in the pH, total organic carbon and nitrate between PS, EPS and SGT at 0.05 probability limits, while the statistical analysis of the trace metal showed the existence of reasonable differences in Fe, Mn and Cu between PS, EPS and SGT at 95% confidence interval. The findings from this study showed that stubborn grass can be used in phytoremediation of salon effluent polluted soil as it improves the physico-chemical and trace metal status of the soil.