Wild Plants for the Phytostabilization of Phosphate Mine Waste in Semi-Arid Environments: A Field Experiment

The management of mine waste has become an urgent issue, especially in semi-arid environments. In this context, and with an aim to inhibit the oxidation of the sulfide tailings of the abandoned mine of Kettara in Morocco, a store-and-release (SR) cover made of phosphate mine waste (PW) was implement...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Minerals (Basel) 2021-01, Vol.11 (1), p.42
Main Authors: Zine, Hamza, Elgadi, Sara, Hakkou, Rachid, Papazoglou, Eleni, Midhat, Laila, Ouhammou, Ahmed
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abandoned mines
Arid environments
Arid zones
Aridity
Asparagus
Bioaccumulation
Biological magnification
Cadmium
Copper
Design
Experiments
field experiment
Flowers & plants
Growing season
local wild plant
Mine tailings
Mine wastes
Mining
Nickel
Oxidation
Peganum harmala
phosphate mine waste
Phosphates
phytostabilization
Plant species
Principal components analysis
Semi arid environments
semi-arid environment
Semiarid environments
Sulfides
Sulphides
Trace elements
Translocation
Zinc
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Summary:The management of mine waste has become an urgent issue, especially in semi-arid environments. In this context, and with an aim to inhibit the oxidation of the sulfide tailings of the abandoned mine of Kettara in Morocco, a store-and-release (SR) cover made of phosphate mine waste (PW) was implemented. In order to guarantee its long-term performance, phytostabilization by local wild plant species is currently the most effective and sustainable solution. This study aimed to assess the growth performance and phytostabilization efficiency of five local wild plant species to grow on the SR cover made of PW. A field experiment was conducted for two growing seasons (2018 and 2019), without amendments and with the minimum of human care. PW and the aboveground and belowground parts of the studied plant species were collected and analyzed for As, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) were also calculated. Despite the hostile conditions of the mining environment, the five plant species showed promising growth performances as follows: Atriplex semibaccata > Vicia sativa > Launaea arborescens > Peganum harmala > Asparagus horridus. The five plants showed high accumulation capacity of the trace elements, with the highest concentrations in belowground tissue. Principal component analysis distinguished A. semibaccata as having a high concentration of Cu and As, while Asparagus horridus had higher concentrations of Cd and Zn. In contrast, P. harmala, V. sativa, and L. arborescens demonstrated affinity regarding Ni. According to the BCF (
ISSN:2075-163X
2075-163X
DOI:10.3390/min11010042