Phytoextraction of metals by Erigeron canadensis L. from fly ash landfill of power plant “Kolubara”

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2015-07, Vol.22 (14), p.10506-10515
• Main Authors: Krgovic, Rada, Trifkovic, Jelena, Milojkovic-Opsenica, Dusanka, Manojlovic, Dragan, Markovic, Marijana, Mutic, Jelena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bioaccumulation; Bioavailability; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological Availability; Biological magnification; Cadmium; Chemistry; Chromium; Coal; Coal Ash; Correlation; Discriminant analysis; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Electric power generation; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Erigeron; Erigeron - metabolism; Erigeron canadensis; Flowers & plants; Fly ash; Fossil fuels; Heavy metals; Industrial Waste; Landfill; Landfills; Metals; Metals - metabolism; Phytoremediation; Plant extracts; Plant growth; Plant Roots - metabolism; Plants (organisms); Power Plants; Principal components analysis; Research Article; Serbia; Soil Pollutants - metabolism; Translocation; Vegetation; Vegetation cover; Waste Disposal Facilities; Waste disposal sites; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Zinc
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-4192-5

The objectives of this study were to determine the concentrations of Pb, Cd, As, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, Ba, Fe, Al and Ag in Erigeron canadensis L. growing on fly ash landfill of power plant “Kolubara”, Serbia. The content of each element was determined in every part of plant separately (root, stalk and inflorescence) and correlated with the content of elements in each phase of sequential extraction of fly ash. In order to ambiguously select the factors that are able to decidedly characterize the particular part of plant, principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were performed. The bioconcentration factors and translocation factors for each metal were calculated in order to determine the feasibility of the use of plant E. canadensis L. for phytoremediation purpose. There were strong positive correlations between metals in every part of plant samples, and metals from pseudo total form of sequential extraction indicate that the bioavailability of elements in fly ash is similarly correlated with total form. Retained Al, Fe, Cr and Co in the root indicate its suitability for phytostabilization. This plant takes up Cd and Zn from the soil (bioconcentration factors (BCFs) greater than 1), transporting them through the stalk into the inflorescence (translocation factors (TFs) higher than 1). Regarding its dominance in vegetation cover and abundance, E. canadensis L. can be considered adequate for phytoextraction of Cd and Zn from coal ash landfills at Kolubara