ESTIMATING PHYTOSEQUESTRATION CAPACITY AND THE EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION ON CARBON SEQUESTRATION OF SOME PLANT SPECIES AND ITS CHLOROPHYLL CORRELATION

Abstract

Carbon dioxide is present in the Earth's atmosphere and it acts as a major contributor in greenhouse gases. Exposure to carbon dioxide can have devastating effects on a person’s health. Green Biotechnology may contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in which plants play an important role as carbon sinks by sequestrating carbon through photosynthesis. Carbon sequestration refers to the long-term storage of carbon in plants, soils, geologic formations, and the ocean. Current work is focused on exploring carbon dioxide uptake by different methods of green biotechnology and how environmental pollution affects that uptake. The study examined how the relationship between environmental pollution and carbon sequestration can be optimized by the technique of green biotechnology which affects the overall plant health. For this purpose, leaves from twenty-six plant species including Michelia, Anona Squamosa, Catharantha roseus, Elaeis Guineenis, Hibiscus rosa sinensis, and Epipremnun pinnatum were taken and divided into two sets. One set was washed with water and the other one was left with dirt on it to demonstrate the effect of pollution on carbon sequestration. Leaves were placed in a transparent photosynthetic chamber equipped with CO2 and O2, and light biosensors. Chlorophyll concentration was determined using a spectrophotometer. Out of twenty-six different species of plants, Hibiscus rosa sinensis sequestered the least amount of CO2 among all the plants with 42 ppm while Anona Squamosa exhibited highest levels of CO2 sequestration with 1025 ppm. There is a correlation between carbon sequestration and chlorophyll content. Plants that show a substantial amount of carbon sequestrated also have a greater amount of chlorophyll that help in photosynthesis. Furthermore, it was found that the unpolluted leaves of Michelia removed 388 ppm CO2 from the environment while the polluted leaves removed only 145 ppm CO2.