Arsenic Uptake by Native Fern Species in Thailand: Effect of Chelating Agents on Hyperaccumulation of Arsenic by Pityrogramma calomelanos

Abstract

Nineteen native fern species collected from an area in Thailand with high arsenic concentration in soil and in ground water as a result of tin mining was screened for elevated arsenic concentration in fronds. Two species of fern were found to contain elevated arsenic in their fronds in nature: Pityrogramma calomelanos (108–1156 µg g−1 dried weight) and Pteris vittata (79 µg g−1 dried weight). Under hydroponic culture Pityrogramma calomelanos (a silver back fern) accumulated arsenic in its shoot at rate of 4616 µg g−1 (dried weight). The accumulation of arsenic in Pityrogramma calomelanos shoot doubled with the addition of an EDTA (Ethelenediamine tetraacetic acid) chelating agent. The highest accumulation occurred 6 weeks after exposure to 10 mg L−1 arsenic as disodium hydrogen arsenate. The addition of another chelating agent, DMSA (Dimercaptosuccinic acid), resulted in a 5-fold decrease in arsenic concentration in the Pityrogramma calomelanos shoot compared to control after 6 weeks of exposure to arsenic. The contrasting effect of the EDTA and DMSA chelating agent was attributed to the strong binding of the thiol group to arsenic ion. This study indicated that Pityrogramma calomelanos uptake and translocate arsenic in the form of arsenate and arsenite rather than the As–DMSA complex. Using phytoextraction efficiency calculations, it was determined that Pityrogramma calomelanos gave the highest arsenic phytoextraction efficiency at 6 weeks after exposure to arsenic in the EDTA treatment, with an efficiency of 77.8 mg As based on whole plant biomass.