Phytostabilization Potential of Salix alba as Biomonitors of Heavy Metals in Soil Pollution near the Erzeni Riverbank

Abstract

The great sources of water pollution in Albania in the last decade are urban discharges which indicate in other sistems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of heavy metals in the soil and plant of Salix alba. Samples was collected from the Erzen riverbed. The objectives are based on assessment of the concentrations of physico-chemical characteristics heavy metals obtained from the sediment and willow (Salix alba) in Erzeni river. The presence of organic matter in soil - the willow plant - was also analyzed. The use of plants in the recuperation of contaminated soil is low cost, sustainable, and environmentally sound. Heavy metals concentration in soil range as follows: Ni (42.2–98.4 mg/kg); Cr (18.9- 34.5 mg/kg), and Pb (53.2-98.4 mg/kg). Some statistically significant differences were observed in the data on the amounts of metals accumulated in the soil, significantly more than in the data on the metal concentrations achieved in the tissues of the Salix alba plant. Heavy metal concentration in plants reach values Ni (0.9–3.54 mg/kg); Cr (0.57 - 0.89 mg/kg), and Pb (0.06 -0.19 mg/kg). Average concentrations in heavy metal plant samples were listed in the order Ni> Cr> Pb. The results of nickel, chromium, and lead clearly show higher concentrations in samples 0-25 cm across the range of extractors. The use of diversified plant materials is essential and optimal for the phytoremediation process. These species offer different opportunities through their metallic tolerance and accumulation of underground biomass metals for the permanent removal of these metals from the terrestrial substrate.