Perspectives of bioremediation of heavy metals with native plants of the Fabaceae family present in Paraguay

Abstract

Industrial pollution is a worldwide problem because many effluents do not receive proper treatment before being released into watercourses. In Paraguay, leather tanning is a common industrial activity and its main contaminant is Chromium. This heavy metal accumulates in both soil and water and can be harmful to human health in large quantities. This study presents the native Fabaceae found in Paraguay and highlights those plants found in the Sub-humid Flooded Forest of the Paraguay River which could be explored in future bioremediation assays. On the other hand, the phylogenetic study of the rbcL gene sequences present in the databases showed that Glycine max, a model species of the Fabaceae family, has the closest phylogenetic relationship with Erythrina crista galli, for which gene studies could be carried out to propose new strategies for pollution reduction.