Abstract
The filling of dry quarries in coastal areas with sediments dredged in seaports represents a potentially interesting method of recycling of these materials. However, this recycling requires the prior carrying out of an Environmental Risk Assessment of the scenario concerned. For this, the question arose as to the type of plants capable of developing on the surface of such a deposit and the method to implement for assessing the possible phytotoxicity of dredged sediments. To answer this question, we chose to work with halophytic plants to be free from the salt-related effect and to assess only the effect related to the toxic compounds present. Based on the objectives set, these works led to the use of common plants of the French coast, with direct seeding, and with pollution-sensitive plants. Three species of angiosperms, Armeria maritima, Anthemis maritima and Plantago coronopus, were finally tested. As a result of this work, Armeria maritima was retained as the most suitable plant for testing the possible phytotoxic effect of dredged marine sediments stored on land. The results obtained with this plant are as follows: germination of 40 % of the seeds in 31 days, produced biomass of 493 mg FW in 6 months and a capacity to bioaccumulate metal pollutants in roots with 350 and 720 mg/kg DW for Zn and Cu, respectively.
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Notes
Glycophytes are not plants naturally encountered on salty substrates although they can tolerate a certain quantity of salt.
A halophyte is a plant adapted to salty media or, by extension, to media with high osmotic pressure.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank the French National Agency for Research for its financial support to the programme “SEDIGEST” (ANR-07-ECOT012-01), as well as Mohammed Abdelghafour, Karim Lounis and Carole Gaignaire (INSAVALOR-POLDEN), Marc Danjean (LEHNA-IPE) and Robert Moretto (EEDEMS) for their technical and logistic support.
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Bedell, JP., Ferro, Y., Bazin, C. et al. Selection of a halophytic plant for assessing the phytotoxicity of dredged seaport sediment stored on land. Environ Monit Assess 186, 183–194 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3365-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3365-2