Heavy-Metal Phytoremediation from Livestock Wastewater and Exploitation of Exhausted Biomass

Monika Hejna, Elisabetta Onelli, Alessandra Moscatelli, Maurizio Bellotto, Cinzia Cristiani, Nadia Stroppa and Luciana Rossi
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Monika Hejna: Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Elisabetta Onelli: Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Alessandra Moscatelli: Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Maurizio Bellotto: Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Cinzia Cristiani: Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Nadia Stroppa: Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
Luciana Rossi: Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: Sustainable agriculture is aimed at long-term crop and livestock production with a minimal impact on the environment. However, agricultural practices from animal production can contribute to global pollution due to heavy metals from the feed additives that are used to ensure the nutritional requirements and also promote animal health and optimize production. The bioavailability of essential mineral sources is limited; thus, the metals are widely found in the manure. Via the manure, metallic ions can contaminate livestock wastewater, drastically reducing its potential recycling for irrigation. Phytoremediation, which is an efficient and cost-effective cleanup technique, could be implemented to reduce the wastewater pollution from livestock production, in order to maintain the water conservation. Plants use various strategies for the absorption and translocation of heavy metals, and they have been widely used to remediate livestock wastewater. In addition, the pollutants concentrated in the plants can be exhausted and used as heat to enhance plant growth and further concentrate the metals, making recycling a possible option. The biomass of the plants can also be used for biogas production in anaerobic fermentation. Combining phytoremediation and biorefinery processes would add value to both approaches and facilitate metal recovery. This review focuses on the concept of agro-ecology, specifically the excessive use of heavy metals in animal production, the various techniques and adaptations of the heavy-metal phytoremediation from livestock wastewater, and further applications of exhausted phytoremediated biomass.

Keywords: sustainable agriculture; phytoremediation techniques; heavy metals; wastewater; exhausted biomass reuse (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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