Mobilization and Translocation of Subsurface Lead by Tithonia rotundifolia
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Mobilization and Translocation of Subsurface Lead by Tithonia rotundifolia Samuel Mutiti
&
Megan Corley & Mutande Tembo
Received: 19 December 2019 / Accepted: 7 July 2020 # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Phytoremediation is a cost-effective and relatively cleaner method for remediating contaminated areas using plants. Certain plants, including some sunflower species, have already been identified as potential phytoremediation candidates because of their ability to accumulate heavy metals. This study investigated the ability of Tithonia rotundifolia (red sunflower) to accumulate lead from lab-contaminated soils. T. rotundifolia was assessed as a candidate for phytoremediation of lead soils. The study also assessed whether the form (species) of lead as the source of contamination or whether arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi had effects on plant uptake of the metal. Results showed that T. rotundifolia was able to accumulate up to 33% of the lead from the contaminated soils making it a promising candidate for phytoremediation. The amount of lead taken up by the plant ranged from 0.1 to 1.2 mg/kg of plant biomass. The source of the contamination, either lead nitrate or lead carbonate, had a significant impact on the amount of lead that accumulated in the plant. The sunflowers grown in the lead nitrate treatment were able to accumulate significantly more lead than the sunflowers grown in the lead carbonate treatment.
Keywords Phytoremediation . Sunflowers . Heavy metals . Lead . Contamination . Tithonia rotundifolia S. Mutiti (*) : M. Corley : M. Tembo Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, Georgia e-mail: [email protected]
1 Introduction One of the most common, old, and persistent environmental problem the world faces today is pollution from heavy metal contaminations. This type of contamination, especially with metals such as lead, is a serious problem resulting from mining, smelting, and heavy utilization of these metals (Bailey et al. 2002; Feng and Qiu 2008; Gray et al. 2014). The contamination in most countries primarily arises from accidental release during transportation, usage, storage, and waste disposal/management. In less industrialized nations, the problem is exacerbated by a lack of enforceable regulations to prevent and/or clean up contamination. In Nigeria, for instance, industries are not held accountable for their waste products. Most of the industrial waste products are disposed of in the soils around industries. These industries are typically surrounded by communities that also rely on these soils for agriculture (Adewole et al. 2010). Other areas with similar problems include the Zambian Copperbelt, Kabwe Zambia, France, Italy, Spain, Pakistan, China, and the USA (Bailey et al. 2002; Higueras et al. 2003; Tembo et al. 2006; Mukhtar et al. 2010; Kapungwe 2011; Gray et al. 2014; Pelfrêne et al. 2013). The severity and widespread nature of heavy metal contamination has led to the discovery and invention of various remediation t
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