Abstract
This study employed Jatropha curcas (bioenergy crop plant) to assist in the removal of heavy metals from contaminated field soils. Analyses were conducted on the concentrations of the individual metals in the soil and in the plants, and their differences over the growth periods of the plants were determined. The calculation of plant biomass after 2 years yielded the total amount of each metal that was removed from the soil. In terms of the absorption of heavy metal contaminants by the roots and their transfer to aerial plant parts, Cd, Ni, and Zn exhibited the greatest ease of absorption, whereas Cu, Cr, and Pb interacted strongly with the root cells and remained in the roots of the plants. J. curcas showed the best absorption capability for Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn. This study pioneered the concept of combining both bioremediation and afforestation by J. curcas, demonstrated at a field scale.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Chang-Hwa County Government, and the Forest Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, ROC.
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The research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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Chang, FC., Ko, CH., Tsai, MJ. et al. Phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soil by Jatropha curcas . Ecotoxicology 23, 1969–1978 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-014-1343-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-014-1343-2