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Phytoextraction of arsenic-contaminated soil with Pteris vittata in Henan Province, China: comprehensive evaluation of remediation efficiency correcting for atmospheric depositions

  • Research in soil pollution and remediation in China
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Abstract

Research on the appropriate method for evaluating phytoremediation efficiency is limited. A 2-year field experiment was conducted to investigate phytoremediation efficiency using the hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata on an arsenic (As)-contaminated site. The remediation efficiency was evaluated through the removal rate of As in soils and extraction rate of heavy metals in plants. After 2 years of remediation, the concentration of total As in soils decreased from 16.27 mg kg−1 in 2012 to 14.58 mg kg−1 in 2014. The total remediation efficiency of As was 10.39% in terms of the removal rate of heavy metals calculated for soils, whereas the remediation efficiency calculated from As uptake by P. vittata was 16.09%. Such a discrepancy aroused further consideration on the potential input of As. A large amount of As was brought in by atmospheric emissions, which possibly biased the calculation of remediation efficiency. In fact, considering also the atmospheric depositions of As, the corrected removal rate of As from soil was 16.57%. Therefore, the results of this work suggest that (i) when evaluating the phytoextraction efficiency, the whole input and output cycle of the element of interest in the targeted ecosystem must be considered, and (ii) P. vittata has the potential to be used to remediate As-contaminated soils in Henan Province, China.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41301547), the Program for “Bingwei” Excellent Talents of the Institute of Geographic Sciences, and the Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Mei Lei, Xiaoming Wan, Guanghui Guo, Junxing Yang & Tongbin Chen

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  1. Mei Lei
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  2. Xiaoming Wan
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  3. Guanghui Guo
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  4. Junxing Yang
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  5. Tongbin Chen
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Correspondence to Xiaoming Wan.

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Responsible editor: Roberto Terzano

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Lei, M., Wan, X., Guo, G. et al. Phytoextraction of arsenic-contaminated soil with Pteris vittata in Henan Province, China: comprehensive evaluation of remediation efficiency correcting for atmospheric depositions. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 124–131 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-8184-x

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