Articolo in rivista, 2019, ENG, 10.1080/15226514.2019.1583634

Pilot testing of a bioremediation system for water and soils contaminated with heavy metals: vegetable depuration module

Scotti A.; Silvani V.A.; Cerioni J.; Visciglia M.; Benavidez M.; Godeas A.

Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, International Center for Earth Sciences. Complejo Minero Fabril San Rafael CMFSR-CNEA, San Rafael, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, International Center for Earth Sciences, Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada, IBBEA (UBA-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires GT Ingeniería S.A, Mendoza, Argentina.

We present a novel constructed wetland called a vegetable depuration module (VDM) as a pilot test of a bioremediation system (BS) for decontaminating water and soil polluted with heavy metals. The VDM consisted of a pool filled with stones of different granulometry and a substrate top layer composed of a mixture of soil and volcanic ash (50:50, v/v) supplemented with 350 ppm Zn. The BS of sunflower plants colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus intraradices was planted in the VDM. Initially, the substrate registered high concentrations of Zn, Cr, Mn, Cu, and Sr, and had Eh > +500 mV and pH 8.4. Irrigation with a Cu solution by vertical flow was carried out. After 3 months, bioaccumulation factors ranged from 1.00 to 8.90, and translocation rates were >1 for Sr and Cu. Total metals extracted by the BS and percolation were 31%, 34%, 50%, 45%, and 57% for Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, and Sr, respectively. Only the BS was capable of extracting 94% of Cu and 38% of Zn. VDM allowed us to calibrate the extractive performance of the studied elements in BS. This biotechnological development holds great potential for phytoremediation of polluted areas.

International journal of phytoremediation 21 , pp. 899–907

Keywords

Vegetable depuration module, Pilot testing, Heavy metals

CNR authors

Scotti Adalgisa Del Carmen

CNR institutes

IGAG – Istituto di geologia ambientale e geoingegneria