Document Type : Research Paper

Author

• Seyed Mahdi Alizadeh

Assistant Professor, Ramin Agriculture and Natural Resources University, Iran.

Abstract

Due to its wide industrial use, chromium is considered as a serious environmental pollutant. Phytoremediation is an effective, economical and biocompatible method for remediation of contaminated soils. The present study is an attempt to assess the capability of Populus alba L., for the phytoextraction of Cr from a polluted loamy soil added with either cocopeat, litter and peatmoss as organic matter. Three amended substrates (soil and cocopeat, soil and litter, soil and peatmoss) using mentioned organic matter and one soil substrate (as control) were prepared. Four concentrations of Cr (VI) including 0, 50, 100 and 150 mg kg^-1 (were spiked as potassium dichromate) were added to substrates. At the end of growing season, the samples were digested and the contents of Cr in plant tissues (root, shoot and leaf) were measured. Maximum and minimum total uptake (54.64 µg plant^-1 and 2.81 µg plant^-1) were observed in presence of cocopeat at 100 mg kg^-1 and soil at 0 mg kg^-1 respectively. Amended substrates were able to enhance the total uptake of Cr by plants nearly two times more than that occurred in control substrate. Using chemical chelators in order to increase metal solubility and enhance phytoremediation efficiency led to increase environmental impacts. The result of the present study as an environmental friendly approach may have a potential use to assist phytoremediation process.

Keywords

• cocopeat
• litter
• peatmoss
• Pollutant
• potassium dichromate