Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Screening of wild plants for use in the phytoremediation of mining-influenced soils containing arsenic in semiarid environments

  • POTENTIALLY HARMFUL ELEMENTS IN SOIL-PLANT INTERACTIONS
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

When dealing with remediation projects in zones affected by mining activities, the risk posed by the ingestion of the plants by fauna is often forgotten. The purpose of this study is the assessment of arsenic assimilation by the natural vegetation in these areas. To study the transfer to the trophic chain two mammals, the sheep and the vole are selected. The risk analysis is founded on the contribution of these natural plants to the ingestion.

Material and methods

Soil samples and the same number of plants (165) growing in the soils were collected in an old mining area in the southeast of Spain. Physico-chemical properties were calculated by means of the usual procedures. To determine the arsenic content, the soil samples and plant materials were digested by means of a microwave system and the arsenic concentration was determined using atomic fluorescence spectrometry with automated continuous flow hydride generation (HG-AFS). A semiquantitative estimation of the mineralogical composition of the samples was made by X-ray diffraction analysis.

Results and discussion

The mineralogy and As content of the soils studied depends on the materials related with the mining activity. The descriptive statistical analysis of the population of plants studied points to an As range of 0.31–150 mg/kg in roots, although the concentration in shoots was lower (0.21–83.4 mg/kg). Bioconcentration (BCF) and transfer factors (TF) were studied for each plant species and soil type on which it grew. The results show that As transfer depends on the plant species and the characteristics of the soil. The potential risk of As entering the food chain through the plant species was evaluated. The exposure pathway considered was oral ingestion, calculating the contribution of the plant to the daily dose based on the arsenic concentration in the shoots of the plants analysed.

Conclusions

In the samples studied, the levels of As in roots were higher than in shoots, and increased with the As concentration in the soil. The BCFs were generally very low, and the TFs while slightly higher, seldom exceeded unity. When undertaking with the phytoremediation of contaminated sites, the contribution of the As level in plants to the daily diet of animals should be used as an indicator for the screening of the vegetal species to be used.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abreu MM, Santos ES, Ferreira M, Magalhães MCF (2012) Cistus salviifolius a promising species for mine wastes remediation. J Geochem Explor 113:86–93

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Adriano DC (2001) Trace elements in terrestrial environments: biogeochemistry, bioavailability and risks of metals, 2nd edn. Springer-Verlag, New York, p 866

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Álvarez E, Otones V, Murciego A, García A, Santa I (2012) Antimony, arsenic and lead distribution in soils and plants of an agricultural area impacted by former mining activities. Sci Total Environ 439:35–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anawar HM, Canha N, Santa I (2013) Adaptation, tolerance, and evolution of plant species in a pyrite mine in response to contamination level and properties of mine tailings: sustainable rehabilitation. J Soils Sediments 13:730–741

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Branzini A, Santos González R, Zubillaga M (2012) Absorption and translocation of copper, zinc and chromium by Sesbania virgate. J Environ Manage 102:50–54

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bu-Olayan AH, Thomas BV (2009) Translocation and bioaccumulation of trace metals in desert plants of Kuwait Governorates. Res J Environ Sci 3:581–587

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chojnacka K, Chojnacki A, Górecka H, Górecki H (2005) Bioavailability of heavy metals from polluted soils to plants. Sci Total Environ 337:175–182

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chung FH (1974) Quantitative interpretation of X-ray diffraction patterns: I. Matrix flushing method of quantitative multicomponent analysis. J Appl Crystallogr 7:519–525

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EFSA (2009) European Food Safety Authority; Guidance Document on Risk Assessment for Birds & Mammals on request from EFSA. EFSA J 7(12):1438. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2009.1438. Available online: www.efsa.europa.eu/

  • FAO (1974) Soil map of the world. UNESCO, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitz WJ, Wenzel WW (2002) Arsenic transformations in the soil–rhizosphere–plant system: fundamentals and potential application to phytoremediation. J Biotechnol 99:259–278

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • García C (2004) Impacto y riesgo ambiental de los residuos minero-metalúrgicos de la Sierra de Cartagena-La Unión (Murcia-España). Doctoral thesis, University Politécnica of Cartagena

  • Gulz PA, Gupta SK, Schulin R (2005) Arsenic accumulation of common plants from contaminated soils. Plant Soil 272:337–347

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang RQ, Gao SF, Wang WL, Staunton S, Wang G (2006) Soil arsenic availability and the transfer of soil arsenic to crops in suburban areas in Fujian Province, southeast China. Sci Total Environ 368:531–541

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Incorvia MJ, Lannucci W, Musante C, White JC (2003) Concurrent plant uptake of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants from soil. Environ Pollut 124:375–378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kabata-Pendias A, Mukherjee AB (2007) Trace elements from soil to human. Springer, Berlin, pp 381–389

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Madeira AC, De Varennes A, Abreu MM, Esteves C, Magalhães MCF (2012) Tomato and parsley growth, arsenic uptake and translocation in a contaminated amended soil. J Geochem Explor 123:114–121

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Madejón P, Lepp NW (2007) Arsenic in soils and plants of woodland regenerated on an arsenic-contaminated substrate: a sustainable natural remediation? Sci Total Environ 379:256–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martín D (2004) Qualitative, quantitative and microtextural powder X-ray diffraction analysis. http://www.xpowder.com/

  • Martínez S (2010) El arsénico en suelos con influencia minera en ambientes semiáridos. Doctoral thesis, University of Murcia

  • Martínez-Sánchez MJ, Pérez-Sirvent C (2007) Niveles de fondo y niveles genéricos de referencia de metales pesados en suelos de la Región de Murcia. CARM, Spain, p 304

    Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Sánchez MJ, Navarro MC, Pérez-Sirvent C, Marimón J, Vidal J, García-Lorenzo ML, Bech J (2008) Assessment of the mobility of metals in a mining impacted coastal area (Spain, Western Mediterranean). J Geochem Explor 96:171–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Sánchez MJ, Martínez S, García ML, Martínez LB, Pérez-Sirvent C (2011) Evaluation of arsenic in soils and plant uptake using various chemical extraction methods in soils affected by old mining activities. Geoderma 160:535–541

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Sánchez MJ, Martínez S, Martínez LB, Pérez-Sirvent C (2013) Importance of the oral arsenic bioaccessibility factor for characterising the risk associated with soil ingestion in a mining-influenced zone. J Environ Manage 116:10–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGrath SP, Zhao F (2003) Phytoextraction of metals and metalloids from contaminated soils. Curr Opin Biotech 14:277–282

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno E, Peñalosa JM, Manzano R, Carpena RO, Gamarra R, Esteban E (2009) Heavy metals distribution in soils surrounding an abandoned mine in NW Madrid (Spain) and their transference to wild flora. J Hazard Mater 162:854–859

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno E, García C, Oropesa AL, Esteban E, Haro A, Carpena R, Tarazona JV, Peñalosa JM, Fernández MD (2011) Screening risk assessment tools for assessing the environmental impact in an abandoned pyritic mine in Spain. Sci Total Environ 409:692–703

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Navarro MC, Pérez-Sirvent C, Martínez-Sánchez MJ, Vidal J, Tovar PJ, Bech J (2008) Abandoned mine sites as a source of contamination by heavy metals: a case study in a semi-arid zone. J Geochem Explor 96:183–193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Otones V, Álvarez E, García A, Santa I, Murciego A (2011) Arsenic distribution in soils and plants of an arsenic impacted former mining area. Environ Pollut 159:2637–2647

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Page AL (ed) (1982) Methods of soil analysis, 2nd edn. American Society of Agronomy, Madison

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Sirvent C, Martínez-Sánchez MJ, Martínez S, Hernández M (2011) Antimony distribution in soils and plants near an abandoned mining site. Microchem J 97:52–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Sirvent C, Martínez-Sánchez MJ, Martínez S, Bech J, Bolan N (2012) Distribution and bioaccumulation of arsenic and antimony in Dittrichia viscose growing in mining-affected semiarid soils in southeast Spain. J Geochem Explor 123:128–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrodin Y, Boillot C, Angerville R, Donguy G, Emmanuel E (2011) Ecological risk assessment of urban and industrial systems: a review. Sci Total Environ 409:5162–5176

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodrigues SM, Pereira ME, Duarte AC, Römkebs PFAM (2012) Soil–plant–animal transfer models to improve soil protection guidelines: a case study from Portugal. Environ Int 39:27–37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez P, Guerra J (2007) Nueva flora de Murcia—plantas vasculares. D.M. Librero (ed), Murcia. ISBN: 84-8425-289-2

  • Saunders JR, Knopper LD, Koch I, Reimer KJ (2010) Arsenic transformations and biomarkers in meadow voles (Mictrotus pennsylvanicus) living on an abandoned gold mine site in Montague, Nova Scotia, Canada. Sci Total Environ 408:829–835

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shuai F, Wei CY (2013) Multivariate and spatial analysis of heavy metal sources and variations in a large old antimony mine, China. J Soils Sediments 13:106–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Topuz E, Talinli I, Aydin E (2011) Integration of environmental and human health risk assessment for industries using hazardous materials: a quantitative multi criteria approach for environmental decision makers. Environ Int 37:393–403

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi RD, Srivastava S, Mishra S, Singh N, Tuli R, Gupta D, Maathuis F (2007) Arsenic hazards: strategies for tolerance and remediation by plants. Trends Biotechnol 25:158–165

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vamerali T, Bandiera M, Mosca G (2010) Field crops for phytoremediation of metal-contaminated land. A review. Environ Chem Lett 8:1–17

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (CTM2008-04567) for financial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Geology and Pedology, Faculty of Chemistry, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional, University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, 30100, Murcia, Spain

    Salvadora Martínez-López, Maria Jose Martínez-Sánchez, Carmen Pérez-Sirvent & Maria del Carmen Gómez Martínez

  2. Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Avenida Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Jaume Bech

  3. Department of Toxicology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain

    Antonio Juan García-Fernandez

Authors
  1. Salvadora Martínez-López
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria Jose Martínez-Sánchez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Carmen Pérez-Sirvent
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jaume Bech
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Maria del Carmen Gómez Martínez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Antonio Juan García-Fernandez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carmen Pérez-Sirvent.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Claudio Bini

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Martínez-López, S., Martínez-Sánchez, M.J., Pérez-Sirvent, C. et al. Screening of wild plants for use in the phytoremediation of mining-influenced soils containing arsenic in semiarid environments. J Soils Sediments 14, 794–809 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-013-0836-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-013-0836-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation