Long-term changes of metal contents in two metallophyte species (Olkusz area of Zn-Pb ores, Poland)

Abstract

The authors present the changes of the As, Cd, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn contents in two plant-considered metallophytes: common bent Agrostis capillaris (blades) and birch Betula pendula (leaves and seeds), recorded in a Zn-Pb industrial region of Olkusz (Poland) in 1994 and 2014. The highest amounts of Cd (12 ppm) and Zn (2524 ppm) in the common bent occur in the vicinity of the mining and metallurgical works ‘Bolesław’ in Bukowno. However, these values are significantly lower than those in 1994: Cd by 87 % and Zn by 52 %. The highest contents of Fe (2674 ppm), Mn (130 ppm) and Pb (334 ppm) in this grass species are in the vicinity of the closed Olkusz mine. These contents have increased in comparison with the 1994 figures: Fe by 56 %, Mn by 120 % and Pb by 6 %. In the birch leaves, the metal contents averaged for four sites are the following: As 2.1, Cd 6.5, Fe 261, Mn 110, Pb 70 and Zn 1657 ppm, being lower from the figures in 1994. The highest As, Fe and Pb contents of birch leaves occur in the habitat closest to the former Olkusz mine, while those of Cd, Mn and Zn in the habitat distant at 100 m from the active plant in Bukowno. The common bent grass generates better resistance mechanisms against the metals than does the birch. In the birch leaves, the contents of the metals are significantly lower than those of the grass blades, but higher from those of the birch seeds collected from the same tree individuals. It is a proof of good functioning of the mechanisms preventing excessive metal amounts from the cell metabolism and of the presence of physiological barriers protecting birch seeds as the generative organs.

Metals and mineral phases of dusts collected in different urban parks of Krakow and their impact on the health of city residents

“…High concentrations of As, Tl, Zn and Cd in the dusts of Krakow are associated without doubts with long-distance emissions from the Olkusz area (around 40 km west of Krakow), where lead and zinc deposits were mined as early as the twelfth century. The Olkusz emissions contain high quantities of As, Cd, Tl and other, often toxic elements and contaminate the air and the soil–plant system not only in the closest neighbourhood (Kicinska and Gruszecka-Kosiwska 2016 ).…”

Ecological Effects of Heavy Metal Pollution on Soil Microbial Community Structure and Diversity on Both Sides of a River around a Mining Area

“…The mining of mines has a devastating impact on the global environment [1,2]. As a large number of mines are exploited, a large amount of acid mine drainage (AMD) and waste slag are released [3], which causes serious pollution of the water [4] and soil around the mines (such as paddy fields, vegetable fields, and abandoned land).…”

The possibility of using sewage sludge for energy crop cultivation exemplified by reed canary grass and giant miscanthus

“…Until now, in order to ensure high yields of biomass, rational mineral fertilization has generally been used. Attention is increasingly drawn to the recovery of macroelements from organic and mineral waste (Kiciñska and Gruszecka-Kosowska 2016, Nahm and Morhart 2018, Szymañska et al 2019. Thanks to this assumption, we can limit the use of mineral fertilizers in the context of retardation of natural resources.…”