The present research study was carried out in Mardan Industrial Estate in Mardan to analyze the concentration of the heavy metals i.e Nickel (Ni) in the soil and plant parts (roots and shoots). Phytoremediation potential of the analyzed plants grown in their natural habitats were evaluated by the calculation of bioconcentration factor (BCF), translocation factor (TF) and bioaccumulation coefficient (BAC). The concentration of the selected heavy metals was determined in the soil of different sites of the research area. The concentrations of Nickel in the soil of Twenty One sites were found in the range of 15.2 – 551 mg/kg. The maximum concentration of Nickel was found in the soil of Site 14 (551) mg/kg while its minimum concentration was present in the soil of Site 3 (15.1) mg/kg. Among all the twenty-one plant species, most of the plant species showed feasibility for the phytoremediation; phytostabilization and phytoextraction of the selected heavy metals. Based on the concentration of copper in shoots and BCFs, TFs and BACs values, Mirabilis jalapa, Thymus vulgaris, Morus alba, Melia azedarach, Anagallis arvensis, Bombax ceiba, Verbena officinale, Datura metal, Convolvulus arvensis, Medicago polymorpha, Thlaspi arvense and Chrozophora tinctoria were found most efficient plants for the phytoextraction of Nickel. Based on the concentration of the selected metals in roots and BCFs, TFs and BACs values, all the screened plants were found efficient for the phytostabilization of Nickel.

Index Terms- Heavy metals, Translocation factor, Phytoextraction, Industrial zone Mardan, Nickel