Lead and Copper Removal from Mine Tailings Using Lycium chilense and Haplopappus foliosus

Abstract

In Chile, the budget for managing environmental liabilities such as abandoned tailings impoundments is limited. Using native and endemic plant species to remove heavy metals from tailings represents a low-cost alternative. Ex situ phytoremediation experiments were conducted over a period of seven months. The endemic species Lycium chilense and native species Haplopappus foliosus were used to remove copper and lead from mine tailings. The results indicate that both species can concentrate levels of Cu and Pb higher than the toxicity threshold in the roots and aerial parts, and present high removal efficiency for Cu higher than 50%. In both species, the concentrations of the target elements are higher in the roots than in the aerial parts. Haplopappus foliosus presents the best performance, accumulating higher concentrations of Cu and Pb than Lycium chilense, and presenting a bioconcentration of over one for Cu.