PHYTOREMEDIATION OF SOIL CONTAMINATED WITH MINING WASTE IN LA PLANTA, ARGENTINA

HRUBY, S; HEREDIA, B; RIZZO, P; MARTINEZ, L; MALETIC, S; ROQUEIRO, G; YOUNG, B

Marsella

Congreso; 32nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition; 2024

Mining waste impact on the environment causing a decrease in the ecosystem services due to the high content of metals and low pH value. Consequently, phytoremediation is a technology that allow to reduce the risk to human and environmental health. It reduces the total or bioavailable metal fractions in soil and their possible accumulation in the trophic chain. Phytoremediation strategies framed under the concept of circularity give an industrial reuse to metals phytoextracted from the contaminated soil. For this reason, the objective of this study was to phytoextract metal(loids) from a soil contaminated with mining waste using native trees and shrubs and a commercial crop. Acute and chronic experiments showed the toxicity caused by the contaminated soil. In addition, the soil application of the amendments not only increased the pH value but also allowed the incorporation of organic matter and nutrients to the contaminated soil. Moreover, the pot tests showed to bioaccumulation capacity of the five species growing in soil amended with dolomite and compost.In field, a high growth rate was observed in native plants after 21 months of exposure and in quinoa crop after the first cycle. High concentrations of Cu, Zn, As and Cd were found in the biomass of quinoa. Therefore, the combination of amendments to improve the soil quality and the selection of species to phytoextrat metal(loids) used in this study are recommended as phytoremediation strategy in soil contaminated with mining waste.