Sorption capacity of ornamental herbaceous plants under conditions of soil contamination with lead

Donetsk State University, Shchorsa St., 46/516, 283050 Donetsk, Russia

^* Corresponding author: o.frunze@donnu.ru

Abstract

The sorption capacity of some types of ornamental herbaceous plants was studied under conditions of controlled soil contamination with lead ions in order to obtain species-hyperaccumulators of heavy metals that can be recommended for phytoremediation of soils of technogenic environment. The concept of using plants to restore a polluted environment is not new. More than 300 years ago, plants were proposed to be used in wastewater treatment. The use of plants to restore the environment has been called “green reclamation”, “botanical bioremediation”, etc. In essence, phytoremediation includes a person's ability to enhance the natural inactivation or restoration of contaminated sites and, as a result, is a process that occupies an intermediate position between technical and natural restoration. Studies have shown that the greatest sorption capacity was noted in seedlings of Brassica napus L. and Ricinus commúnis L., the lowest sorption capacity was shown by seedlings of Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. The lowest ability to accumulate heavy metal ions was shown by seedlings of Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth., whose metal transfer factor is 0.78, so we cannot recommend this type for the technology of phytoremediation of soils of the technogenic region. In Brassica napus L. and Ricinus commúnis L. the metal transfer factor for lead is almost equal to 1, which makes it possible to attribute this plant species to heavy metal hyperaccumulators and recommend it for use in phytoremediation technology of soils contaminated with lead ions.