Use of grassy plants to decontaminate soil from heavy metals

Abstract

Soil contamination with heavy metals is a problem of worldwide concern that is still unsolved. Phytoremediation is a new and prospective technology that applies plants for cleaning lightly contaminated soil. Three kinds of grassy plants - perennial ryegrass (l.olium perenne L.) meadow-grass (Poa pratensis L.) and fescue grass (Festuca pratensis Huds.) - have been chosen in this work for decontaminating soil from heavy metals. These plants were grown under artificial laboratory conditions in soil which was once and periodically contaminated with heavy metals. It was established that it is the perennial ryegrass that most efficiently removes heavy metals and cleans soil. It removed up to 90 % of copper, up to 77 % of lead, up to 69 % of manganese, up to 90 % of zinc, up to 70 % of nickel, and up to 80 % of chromium from the soil. The meadow-grass and fescue grass removed less of heavy metals from soil, however, all three kinds of the analysed species of grass vegetation are efficient enough to decontaminate soil from heavy metals.