The application of phytoremediation technology in a soil contaminated by pyrite cinders

Abstract

A research project dealing with the phytoremediation of a soil polluted by pyrite cinders is currently running. The case study is represented by a polluted area located in an industrial site; since 2001, the site has been listed in the clean-up national priority list. Before the beginning of the in situ trials, two experiments in controlled conditions were carried out. The first pot experiments were performed growing Glycine max, Sorghum bicolor, Zea mays and Helianthus annuus on substrates polluted by different levels of pyrite cinders, containing As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn. In a second experiment, the possible influence of fertilization on the uptake of As and heavy metals by S. bicolor and H. annuus was observed. The potential of phytoextraction of crops was evaluated considering the plant biomass, the concentration of As and heavy metals in the plant tissues and also the bioconcentration factor (BCF) and the translocation factor (TF). In the most polluted substrate, S. bicolor appeared more efficient than H. annuus in the uptake of metals; the transport of the metals from roots towards stems and leaves was less efficient in S. bicolor.