Arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) are among the most dangerous heavy metals to humans andthe environment because of their toxicity towards all living organisms and their related accumulation capability. It is known that some plant species are able to detoxify water and soil fromsome pollutants. In this paperwe strive to investigate howa common plant species is able to accumulate these metals. In this research we considered Poa annua, a plant species easily growing in Italy and deeply involved in the food chain, to understand problems related to its use as fodder for wild and farm animals (i.e. cattle) and suitability to be used for phytoremediation purposes. Hydroponic experiments were set up; P. annua was seeded in different substrates: gravel and zeolite, alone and mixed at different percentage. For each metal three different levels of contamination were chosen, for As 0.25, 0.5 and 5mgL−1, for Hg 0.1, 0.2 and 2mg L−1. No substantial difference in metal absorption among plant samples watered with different As and Hg concentrations, was observed during the testing phase. Nevertheless, results show that concentrations of As and Hg accumulated in P. annua increase with the increasing contamination exposure.

Preliminary test of arsenic and mercury uptake by Poa annua / Comino, Elena; Fiorucci, Adriano; Menegatti, Stefania; Marocco, C.. - In: ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING. - ISSN 0925-8574. - 35:(2009), pp. 343-350. [10.1016/j.ecoleng.2008.09.017]

Preliminary test of arsenic and mercury uptake by Poa annua

COMINO, ELENA;FIORUCCI, Adriano;MENEGATTI, STEFANIA;
2009

Abstract

Arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) are among the most dangerous heavy metals to humans andthe environment because of their toxicity towards all living organisms and their related accumulation capability. It is known that some plant species are able to detoxify water and soil fromsome pollutants. In this paperwe strive to investigate howa common plant species is able to accumulate these metals. In this research we considered Poa annua, a plant species easily growing in Italy and deeply involved in the food chain, to understand problems related to its use as fodder for wild and farm animals (i.e. cattle) and suitability to be used for phytoremediation purposes. Hydroponic experiments were set up; P. annua was seeded in different substrates: gravel and zeolite, alone and mixed at different percentage. For each metal three different levels of contamination were chosen, for As 0.25, 0.5 and 5mgL−1, for Hg 0.1, 0.2 and 2mg L−1. No substantial difference in metal absorption among plant samples watered with different As and Hg concentrations, was observed during the testing phase. Nevertheless, results show that concentrations of As and Hg accumulated in P. annua increase with the increasing contamination exposure.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/1905804
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