Abstract
Variations in As, Ba, Bi, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Th, Tl, U, W, and Zn uptake were evaluated in young, middle-aged, and mature basil, tomato, zucchini, and sunflower plants grown in soils amended with 5, 10, and 20% by weight fly ash. Elements susceptible to uptake with increasing fly ash were As and Tl, with As exceeding potentially toxic levels in basil and zucchini. Temporal variations in element uptake included (1) increasing Ba and Cd concentrations in tomato and As, Ba, Cd, and Tl in zucchini, (2) decreasing Co concentrations in tomato, zucchini, and sunflower, Ni in zucchini, and Tl in basil, and (3) increasing As and Ni concentrations in basil and Pb in zucchini and sunflower during early growth followed by decreasing concentrations at maturity. Although most of the trace elements were below reported toxic levels, the elevated concentrations of As in plant tissue suggests that fly ash treatment programs can lead to potentially toxic accumulations of As, and thus, should be carefully monitored.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank C. Amlaner, Jr., for offering the use of the greenhouse facility at Indiana State University, L. Lohman at Pfizer Inc. for providing the coal combustion by-products, and S. Short and D. Knight for their assistance in the greenhouse. This research was supported by a Surface Mining and Reclamation Technology (SMART) grant through the Indiana Division of Reclamation, Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
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Brake, S.S., Jensen, R.R. & Mattox, J.M. Effects of coal fly ash amended soils on trace element uptake in plants. Env Geol 45, 680–689 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0921-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0921-z