Bioaccumulation and Translocation of Cu, Cd, Zn, and As in Four Native Tree and Shrub Species Growing on Soils Contaminated by an Abandoned Gold Mine

HEREDIA, BELÉN ; TAPIA, RAUL; YOUNG, BRIAN JONATHAN; ROQUEIRO, GONZALO

Congreso; SETAC Latin America 14th Biennial Meeting; 2021

Plants are known to have the ability to bioaccumulate metal(loid)s in tissues and translocate them from roots to aerial biomass. Native plants grow in soil contaminated with mining waste in the town of La Planta (Caucete, San Juan, Argentina). The objective of this study was to evaluate the bioaccumulation and translocation capacity of Cu, Cd, Zn and As in Prosopis flexuosa (Pf), Larrea cuneifolia (Lc), Bulnesia retama (Br), and Plectrocarpa tetracantha (Pt) that grow in contaminated soil. Organ samples (leaf, branches, stem, bark and root) of 3 plants per species (n=12) were collected. Rhizospheric soil samples around each tree and shrub were taken from the first 20 cm of depth (n=12). Concentrations of metal(loid)s in organs and soil were determined. Samples were digested with a combination of HNO3, H2O2 and HF, and quantifications were made using ICP-MS. Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) and Translocation Factor (TF) were calculated. Results showed that the most concentrated metal(loid)s in Lc, Pf and Br were Cu and Zn, and in Pt were Zn, Cu and As (pLc>Pt>Br for Cu, Pf>Pt>Lc>Br for Zn, and only Pt was effective for Cd. Bioaccumulation capacity of Cu, Cd, Zn and As found in the native plants studied in this work, generates baseline information for the implementation of phytoremediation strategies. These species present anatomical, morphological and structural adaptations that allow them to survive adverse climatic conditions that characterize arid and semi-arid environments. This would avoid the use of exotic species that could generate disturbances in the polluted environment and a higher economic cost.