engleski

Phytoremediation as a method for heavy metals removal from the environment – a case study of heavy metal removal by using common wild plant species in green city areas of Varaždin

Heavy metals are present in the environment up to the certain levels as a consequence of mineralogical composition of soil and above certain concentrations as a consequence of inappropriate waste disposal, wastewater discharge, fossil fuel consumption (industry, traffic, households), as a consequence of agricultural activities (pesticides and mineral fertilisers), etc. A toxic influence of heavy metals on human health and living beings has been known. Different methods for heavy metals removal from contaminated areas have been developed. Phytoremediation is one of them. It includes usage of certain plant species which are able to incorporate heavy metals from the soil into the upper parts of the plant that can be removed from contaminated areas afterward. The possibility of application of phytoremediation was investigated in the area of Varaždin during 2013 by using common wild plant species: dandelion (Taraxacum officinale agg.), ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.). The samples of soil and plants were collected on 16 sites of Varaždin region in order to determine concentration of the following heavy metals in it: cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn). Determination of heavy metals content was performed by using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Additionally, mentioned common wild plants have been collected on particularly specified area in order to calculate afterward which amount of heavy metal can be removed from the specified area. The results have shown that the highest accumulation for cadmium possesses dandelion with 0.945 mg/kg, for copper ribwort plantain with 239.03 mg/kg, for iron - ribwort plantain with 246.25 mg/kg, for lead – ribwort plantain with 3.88 mg/kg, for manganese - dandelion with 49.60 mg/kg, for nickel – dandelion with 5.498 mg/kg and for zinc - white clover with 216.50 mg/kg. Based on the results, it can be concluded that from green city areas which are mow down regularly (about 10 times per year), and where dandelion, ribwort plantain and white clover are growing, a significant amount of heavy metals could be removed but within longer period of time. The main advantages of this method are environmental friendliness and its significant inexpensiveness in comparison with other methods. Studied method can be applied during remediation of landfills as well as other sites contaminated with heavy metals.

heavy metals; wild plant species; remediation of polluted areas; Varaždin

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