A Laboratory Study on Revegetation and Metal Uptake in Native Plant Species from Neutral Mine Tailings

Abstract

Lygeum spartum, Zygophyllum fabago and Piptatherum miliaceum are typical plant species that grow in mine tailings in semiarid Mediterranean areas. The aim of this work was to investigate metal uptake of these species growing on neutral mine tailings under controlled conditions and their response to fertilizer additions. A neutral mine tailing (pH of soil solution of 7.1-7.2) with high total metal concentrations (9,100 and 5,200 mg kg −1 Zn and Pb, respectively) from Southern Spain was used. Soluble Zn and Pb were low (0.5 and <0.1 mg l −1 , respectively) but the major cations and anions reached relatively high levels (e.g. 2,600 and 1,400 mg l −1 Cl and Na). Fertilization caused a significant increase of the plant weight for the three species and decreased metal accumulation with the exception of Cd. Roots accumulated much higher metal concentrations for the three plants than shoots, except Cd in L. spartum. Shoot concentrations for the three plants were 3-14 mg kg −1 Cd, 150-300 mg kg −1 Zn, 4-11 mg kg −1 Cu, and 1-10 mg kg −1 As, and 6-110 mg kg −1 Pb.The results indicate that neutral pH mine tailings present a suitable substrate for establishment of these native plants species and fertilizer favors this establishment. Metal accumulation in plants is relatively low despite high total soil concentrations.

Mercury contamination in soil, tailing and plants on agricultural fields near closed gold mine in Buru Island, Maluku

“…Tailing from Anhoni river inhibited nodules formation and groundnut growth in pot culture (Pramya, 2015) although liming and organic matter application was carried. Mine tailings present only a suitable substrate for establishment native plant species such as Lygeum spartum, Zygophyllum fabago and Piptatherum miliaceum (Conesa et al, 2007). A short-term experiment indicated that native plant species Prosopis velutina and Amaranthus watsonii grow in metal mine tailings are potential for heavy metal phytostabilization (Santos et al, 2017).…”

A review on dump slope stabilization by revegetation with reference to indigenous plant

“…They can reverse the Their root systems allow them to act as scavengers of nutrients not readily available. The plants accumulate these nutrients and redeposit them on the soil surface in organic matter from which nutrients are much more readily available by microbial breakdown (Li 2006;Conesa et al 2007a). The revegetation of eroded ecosystems must be carried out with plants selected on the basis of their ability to survive and regenerate or reproduce under severe conditions provided both by the nature of the dump material, the exposed situation on the dump surface and on their ability to stabilize the soil structure (Madejon et al 2006).…”

Phytostabilization of massive mine wastes with native phytogenetic resources: potential for sustainable use and conservation of the native flora in north-central Chile

“…Exotic species are often invading species that alter the dynamics of wild biological communities and/or agriculture near the work site, and they are not always appropriate to the climatic and geographical conditions of the site, which may increase maintenance costs in the long term (Ginocchio, 2004;Conesa et al, 2007;Mahmud et al, 2008). Metallophyte species are typically endemic to their metallic native areas; therefore, considering that the mineralized substrates where these species develop are the material of interest, they are susceptible to high rates of population decline and even extinction (Whiting et al, 2004).…”

“…Although the vegetation that spontaneously colonizes mining zones has been studied in other arid and semiarid regions of the world (Conesa et al, 2007), knowledge of the metallophyte species of north-central Chile is virtually nonexistent. This lack of knowledge contrasts with the potential richness of metallophyte species in an area where the native and endemic Mediterranean fl ora have developed naturally and evolved for millions of years in the presence of numerous mineral deposits .…”