Phytoremediation Potential and Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Metallic Extraction of Suaeda glauca, Artemisia desertorum, and Atriplex canescens

Changming Li, Tianpeng Gao (), Xueying Wang, Shipeng Qu, Yingli Yang, Mingbo Zuo, Juan Wang, Haoming Wang, Guixiang Zhou and Yubing Liu
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Changming Li: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
Tianpeng Gao: Research Center of Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Engineering in Mining Area of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730001, China
Xueying Wang: Xi’an Institute of Environment Sanitation Sciences, Xi’an 710065, China
Shipeng Qu: Research Center of Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Engineering in Mining Area of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730001, China
Yingli Yang: Research Center of Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Engineering in Mining Area of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730001, China
Mingbo Zuo: Research Center of Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Engineering in Mining Area of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730001, China
Juan Wang: Research Center of Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Engineering in Mining Area of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730001, China
Haoming Wang: Research Center of Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Engineering in Mining Area of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730001, China
Guixiang Zhou: Research Center of Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Engineering in Mining Area of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730001, China
Yubing Liu: Research Center of Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Engineering in Mining Area of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730001, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-14

Abstract: Mining activities have led to serious environmental (soil erosion, degradation of vegetation, and groundwater contamination) and human health (musculoskeletal problems, diarrheal conditions, and chronic diseases) issues at desert mining areas in northwest China. Native plant species grown naturally in desert regions show a unique tolerance to arid and semiarid conditions and are potential candidates for soil phytoremediation. Here, an ex situ experiment involving pot planting of seedlings of three native plant species ( Suaeda glauca , Artemisia desertorum , and Atriplex canescens ) was designed to explore their phytoremediation potential and the underlying physiological mechanism. For Zn and Cu, the three plants were all with a biological accumulation coefficient (BAC) greater than 1. For Cd, Ni, and Pb, Atriplex canescens had the highest bioaccumulation concentrations (521.52, 862.23, and 1734.59 mg/kg), with BAC values (1.06, 1.30, 1.25) greater than 1, which indicates that Atriplex canescens could be a broad-spectrum metal extraction plant. Physiological analysis (antioxidation, extracellular secretions, photosynthesis, and hydraulics) showed that the three desert plants exploited their unique strategy to protect against the stress of complex metals in soils. Moreover, the second growing period was the main heavy metal accumulation and extraction stage concomitant with highest water use efficiency (iWUE). Taken together, the three desert plants exhibited the potent heavy metal extraction ability and physiological and ecological adaptability to a harsh polluted environment in arid desert areas, providing potential resources for the bioremediation of metal-contaminated soils in an arid and semiarid desert environment.

Keywords: phytoremediation; desert; antioxidation; photosynthesis; hydraulics; heavy metals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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