Heavy metals concentration in plants growing on mine tailings in Central Mexico

M. O. Franco-Hernández, M. S. Vásquez-Murrieta, A. Patiño-Siciliano, L. Dendooven

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

62 Scopus citations

Abstract

Metal concentrations were measured in plants growing on heavily contaminated tailings from a mine active since about 1800 in San Luis Potosí (Mexico). Viguiera dentata (Cav.) Spreng., Parthenium bipinnatifidum (Ort.) Rollins, Flaveria angustifolia (Cav.) Pers., F. trinervia (Spreng.) C. Mohr. and Sporobolus indicus (L.) R. Br. were tolerant to high As, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations. Of those, S. indicus excluded heavy metals from its shoots, while P. bipinnatifidum and F. angustifolia accumulated them. V. dentata and P. bipinnatifidum were accumulators of As, but not hyperaccumulators. It was found that V. dentata, P. bipinnatifidum, F. angustifolia, F. trinervia and S. indicus, could be used to vegetate soils contaminated with As, Cu, Pb and Zn. Ambrosia artemisifolia could be used to remediate soils contaminated with Zn, S. amplexicaulis those with Cu and F. angustifolia and F. trinervia those with As, as they have a strong capacity to accumulate those metals.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3864-3869
Number of pages6
JournalBioresource Technology
Volume101
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2010

Keywords

  • Excluders and hyperaccumulators
  • Heavy metals accumulators
  • Natural vegetation
  • Shoot/root and shoot/soil quotient
  • Soil characteristics

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