Phytoaccumulation of heavy metals in native plants growing on soils in the Spreča river valley, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

This study evaluated the phytoremediation potential of eight native plant species on heavy metal polluted soils along the Spreča river valley (the northeast region of Bosnia and Herzegovina). Plants selected for screening were: ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), common nettle (Urtica dioica L.), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.), wild mint (Mentha arvensis L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), dwarf nettle (Urtica urens L.) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.). All aboveground parts of selected native plants and their associated soil samples were collected and analysed for total concentration of Ni, Cr, Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu. The bioaccumulation factor for each element was also calculated. The levels of Cr (90.9–171.1 mg/kg) and Ni (80.1–390.5 mg/kg) in the studied soil plots were generally higher than limits prescribed by European standards, indicating that the soils in the Spreča river valley are polluted by Cr and Ni. Among the eight screened plant species, no hyperaccumulators for toxic heavy metals Ni, Cr, Cd and Pb were identified. However, the concentrations of toxic heavy metals in the above-ground parts of Artemisia vulgaris L. and Trifolium repens L. were significantly higher than in the other studied plants, indicating that both plant species are useful for heavy metal removal.

Can Urban Grassland Plants Contribute to the Phytoremediation of Soils Contaminated with Heavy Metals

“…The studied plant species showed the highest efficiency in removing Cd, Zn and Cu from the soil (the only exception is Trifolium repens for Cd), and the lowest for Fe and Pb ( Figure 4 ). A comparison of the values of BCF from the Varaždin area with other studies with the same plant species in Europe [ 13 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 37 , 40 , 42 , 67 ] ( Table S10 ) shows the same trend, i.e., most values are in the same order of magnitude, and only a few show differences of one or two orders of magnitude. The detail that should be highlighted is that other authors have obtained BCF values > 1 [ 32 ] and some even > 2 [ 37 ] for Cd in Taraxacum officinale , indicating that this species has the potential to remove this non-essential and toxic element.…”

“…Comparison of mean concentrations of heavy metals in the aboveground parts of Trifolium repens in different parts of Europe [ 40 , 41 , 42 ] ( Table S8 ) (N = 15, 3, 0, 0, 3, 15, 15; Cd—6.41 mg/kg, Cu—16.46 mg/kg, Ni—88.2 mg/kg, Pb—29.1 mg/kg, Zn—92 mg/kg) with those in the Varaždin area (N = 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 14; Cd—0.03 mg/kg, Cu—17.4 mg/kg, Fe—138 mg/kg, Mn—24.7 mg/kg, Ni—0.83 mg/kg, Pb—0.52 mg/kg, Zn—56.7 mg/kg) shows that the values for Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn are higher in the area of Europe and for Cu in the area of Varaždin, while for Fe and Mn, a comparison is not possible due to the lack of data.…”

“…(dandelion), Plantago lanceolata L. (narrowleaf plantain), and Trifolium repens L. (white clover). Of the three species mentioned, the most data on heavy metal accumulation are found for Taraxacum officinale [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ], while there are significantly fewer for Plantago lanceolata [ 13 , 31 , 39 ] and Trifolium repens [ 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Of the papers cited, relatively few relate to research on phytoremediation in urban areas [ 13 , 31 , 33 , 36 , 37 ].…”

Nettle, a Long-Known Fiber Plant with New Perspectives

“…This capacity remains to be demonstrated for in situ cases. Indeed, in leaves of nettles collected in situ at contaminated sites, and levels of Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn [11,[229][230][231][232][233], and Mn [233,234] were well below the toxic levels reported by Kabata-Pendias [116]. However, TE levels in nettle roots are usually much higher than those measured in leaves (Supplementary Material Table S3).…”

Biological Absorption of Chemical Elements in Topinambur Plants by Separation of Wastewater in Podzol Soil

“…Jerusalem artichoke or pear (Helianthus tuberosus -tuberous sunflower) is a tuberous plant of the genus Asteraceae. Due to low requirements for growing conditions, high intensity of carbon sequestration and synthesis of biomass, inulin, Jerusalem artichoke is considered as selectivity crop for bioethanol production with the added advantage of biologically valuable crop products, which has great potential for use in bioenergy and low-yielding (Murtić S. et al, 2021;Lopushniak & Hrytsuliak, 2021). The main characteristic of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) is its high ecological plasticity and stress resistance under the conditions of dynamic climate change, which are increasingly manifested by the phenomena of aridization in different climatic zones.…”