Abstract
Various species of the Brassicaceae family are known to hyperaccumulate metals. Lunaria annua L., a plant from the Brassicaceae family, is an oilseed crop known for its pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. In this work, Lunaria annua L. was investigated for its accumulation potential in copper and lead-contaminated soil. Concentrations of copper and lead were measured before planting (in seeds and soils) and after the plant was harvested (in soils and plant). Two types of soils were used: a soil sample collected from the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science, University of Split (soil 1, S1) and a commercially available organic mineral substrate (soil 2, S2). Measured pH values showed that the S1 (pH = 8.58) was moderately alkaline soil. On the other hand, the purchased organic soil, S2 (pH = 6.35), was poorly acidic to neutral. For the determination of copper (Cu) and lead (Pb), square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV), using a glassy carbon electrode modified with mercury film, was applied. The concentrations of Pb and Cu were determined and calculated in the sample using the standard addition method. Obtained results have shown that Lunaria annua L. is a lead hyperaccumulator (4116.2 mg/kg in S1 and 3314.7 mg/kg in S2) and a potential copper accumulator (624.2 mg/kg in S1 and 498.9 mg/kg in S2). Likewise, the results have shown that the higher the pH is, the lower the possibility that metal accumulation exists.
Highlights
The results showed that Lunaria annua L., according to the criteria for hyperaccumulation [8], is a lead hyperaccumulator and a potential copper accumulator
The experiments showed that square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) could be used successfully to determine metals, copper and lead, in contaminated soils and plant samples
Obtained concentrations for copper in plants from both types of soil watered with tap water are lower in comparison to the unseeded and untreated soil
Summary
Heavy metals are pollutants that significantly affect the environment and their toxicity has been a problem of increasing significance for ecological, evolutionary, nutritional and environmental reasons [1]. The majority of metals cannot be eliminated from the environment by chemical or biological transformation They cause a state of oxidative stress in the plant and it is necessary to better understand the mechanisms of their harmful effects, as well as the tolerance of certain species and the specific reaction of their varieties to the increased availability of heavy metals in the environment. Determinations of heavy metals in environmental samples, whether qualitative or quantitative, can be performed using different spectroscopic and electroanalytical methods These include atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) [14], microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectroscopy (MIP-OES), inductively coupled plasma optical emission (ICP-OES) and stripping voltammetry [15]. The standard addition method was used to determine and calculate the concentrations of copper and lead
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