Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Phalaris arundinacea, Salix viminalis and Zea mays to the phytoremediation of the soil contaminated with nickel. A 2-year microplot experiment was carried out with plants growing on Ni-contaminated soil. Microplots (1 m2 × 1 m deep) were filled with Haplic Luvisols soil. Simulated soil contamination with Ni was introduced in the following doses: 0—no metals, Ni1—60, Ni2—100 and Ni3—240 mg kg−1. The phytoremediation potential of plants was evaluated using a tolerance index, bioaccumulation factor, and translocation factor. None of the tested plants was a species with high Ni phytoremediation potential. All of them demonstrated a total lack of usefulness for phytoextraction; however, they can be in some way useful for phytostabilization. Z. mays accumulated large amounts of Ni in the roots, which made it useful for phytostabilization, but, at the same time, showed little tolerance to this metal. For this reason, it can be successfully used only on soils medium-contaminated with Ni, where a large yield decrease did not occur. Its biomass may be safely used as cattle feed, as the Ni transfer from roots to shoots was strongly restricted. P. arundinacea and S. viminalis accumulated too little Ni in the roots to be considered as typical phytostabilization plants. However, they may be helpful for phytostabilization due to their high tolerance to Ni. These plants can grow in the soil contaminated with Ni, acting as a protection against soil erosion or the spread of contamination.
Highlights
Nickel, necessary for living organisms in small amounts, is toxic to humans, animals, and plants after exceeding its tolerable level (Kabta-Pendias and Mukherjee 2007)
The average concentration of this metal in Ni1 ranged from 49.9 to 58.2 mg kg−1, in Ni2—from 89.5 to 111 mg kg−1, while in N i3 treatment— from 182 to 186 mg kg−1, depending on the plant species. These concentrations corresponded to, respectively, weak, medium and heavy contamination level according to the limits of soil contamination with heavy metals by KabataPendias et al (1993)
According to the Polish standards (Regulation of the Minister of the Environment 2016), the total Ni concentration in the soil on agricultural areas should not exceed 100 mg kg−1, which coincides with the upper limit of the average soil contamination acc. to Kabata-Pendias et al (1993)
Summary
Necessary for living organisms in small amounts, is toxic to humans, animals, and plants after exceeding its tolerable level (Kabta-Pendias and Mukherjee 2007). This element gets into the environment from a number of anthropogenic sources, such as combustion of fossil fuels, mining and refining processes, nickel alloy manufacturing (steel), electroplating, incineration of municipal wastes and sewage sludge (Ahmad and Ashraf 2011; Gaj et al 2007). Nickel contamination is highly probable to occur on the soils in the vicinity of metal smelters steel and mines. The Ni concentration of the soil was 1600–2150 mg kg−1 at Sudbury smelting area in Canada (Adamo et al 2002; Narendrula et al 2012), 303 mg kg−1 at Plovdiv non-ferrous metal smelter in Bulgaria (Bacon and Dinev 2005), 267 mg kg−1 around the Selebi Phikwe Cu–Ni mine in Botswana (Ngole and Ekosse 2012), 212 mg kg−1 at the former sludge disposal site in Denmark (Algreen et al 2014) and 122 mg kg−1 at the area of a former waste incineration plant in Czech Republic (Kacalkova et al 2014)
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