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Lead accumulation and phytostabilization potential of dominant plant species growing in a lead–zinc mine tailing

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Abstract

Screening out plants that are hyper-tolerant to certain heavy metals plays a fundamental role in remediation of mine tailing. In this study, nine dominant plant species growing on lead–zinc mine tailing and their corresponding non-mining ecotypes were investigated for their potential phytostabilization of lead. Lead concentration in roots of these plants was higher than in shoots, and the highest concentrations of lead were found in Athyrium wardii: 15542 and 10720 mg kg−1 in the early growth stage (May) and vigorous growth stage (August) respectively, which were 426 and 455 times higher than those of the non-mining ecotypes. Because of poor lead translocation ability, lead accumulation in roots reached as high as 42 mg per plant. Available lead in the rhizosphere soils of A. wardii was 310 mg kg−1, which was 17 times higher than that of the non-rhizosphere soil. Lead concentrations of roots for the nine mining ecotypes were positively correlated with available lead in the rhizosphere soils, whereas a negative correlation was observed in the non-mining ecotypes. These results suggest that A. wardii was the most promising candidate among the tested species for lead accumulation in roots, and it could be used for phytostabilization in lead polluted soils.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the Sichuan Youth Science & Technology Foundation (06ZQ026–020), Youth Foundation of the Sichuan Education Bureau (2006B009), key project from Sichuan Education Bureau (2006A008), and Open Research Fund Program from Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Polluted Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Zhejiang University, Huajiachi Campus, Hangzhou 310029, China. The authors are thankful to Dr. C. Hu (Sichuan Agriculture University) for his help in plant determinations, and to Margaret Cargill and Dr. P. Huang for critical comments on the language and construction of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, 46 Xinkang Road, Ya’an, 625014, Sichuan, China

    Tongjing Zou, Tingxuan Li, Xizhou Zhang & Haiying Yu

  2. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Polluted Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Zhejiang University, Huajiachi Campus, Hangzhou, 310029, China

    Huagang Huang

  3. Environmental Monitoring Station, Zigong Environmental Protection Bureau, Tanmulin Street 75#, Zigong, 643000, Sichuan, China

    Tongjing Zou

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  1. Tongjing Zou
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Correspondence to Tingxuan Li.

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Zou, T., Li, T., Zhang, X. et al. Lead accumulation and phytostabilization potential of dominant plant species growing in a lead–zinc mine tailing. Environ Earth Sci 65, 621–630 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1109-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1109-6

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