Assessment of the Transfer of Trace Metals to Spontaneous Plants on Abandoned Pyrrhotite Mine: Potential Application for Phytostabilization of Phosphate Wastes

The abandoned Kettara pyrrhotite mine (Marrakech region, Morocco) is a real source of acid mine drainage (AMD) and heavy metal pollution from previous mining operations—which has spread, particularly because of wind erosion. A store-and-release cover system made of phosphate wastes was built on the site for preventing AMD. To ensure the integrity of this cover and its durability, it is desirable to revegetate it (phytostabilization) with plants adapted to the edaphoclimatic conditions of the region. In this paper, a study was carried out on the spontaneous vegetation around the phosphate cover in order to consider the selection of plants to promote the stabilization of the Kettara mine tailings pond. Nine species of native plants with their rhizospheric soils growing in agricultural soils and tailings from the Kettara mine were collected, and metals (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr) were analyzed. The soil analysis showed that the tailings contained high concentrations of Cu (177.64 mg/kg) and Pb (116.80 mg/kg) and that the agricultural soil contained high concentrations of As (25.07 mg/kg) and Cu (251.96 mg/kg) exceeding the toxicity level (Cu > 100 mg/kg, Pb > 100 mg/kg, As > 20 mg/kg). The plant analysis showed low trace metal accumulation in Scolymus hispanicus, Festuca ovina, Cleome brachycarpa, Carlina involucrata and Peganum harmala. These species had a bioconcentration factor (BCF) greater than 1 and a translocation factor (TF) less than 1, demonstrating a high tolerance to trace metals. Therefore, they are good candidates for use in the phytoremediation of the Kettara mine tailings. These species could also potentially be used for the phytostabilization of the phosphate waste cover of the Kettara mine, thus completing the rehabilitation process of this area.

[1]  F. Battaglia-Brunet,et al.  Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation by Plant Remediation Technologies , 2021 .

[2]  Heng Xu,et al.  Evaluation of phytoremediation potential of native dominant plants and spatial distribution of heavy metals in abandoned mining area in Southwest China. , 2021, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[3]  R. Hakkou,et al.  Phytostabilization of Phosphate Mine Wastes Used as a Store-and-Release Cover to Control Acid Mine Drainage in a Semiarid Climate , 2021, Plants.

[4]  S. Lam,et al.  A review on phytoremediation of contaminants in air, water and soil. , 2021, Journal of hazardous materials.

[5]  Renald Blundell,et al.  Heavy metal pollution in the environment and their toxicological effects on humans , 2020, Heliyon.

[6]  I. Vogiatzakis,et al.  Native plants for the remediation of abandoned sulphide mines in Cyprus: A preliminary assessment. , 2020, Journal of environmental management.

[7]  Yi Li,et al.  Investigation of plant species and their heavy metal accumulation in manganese mine tailings in Pingle Mn mine, China , 2020, Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

[8]  D. Purchase,et al.  Phytoremediation of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Sites: Eco-environmental Concerns, Field Studies, Sustainability Issues, and Future Prospects. , 2020, Reviews of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[9]  T. Minkina,et al.  Copper phytoextraction and phytostabilization potential of wild plant species growing in the mine polluted areas of Armenia , 2018, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis.

[10]  G. Zheng,et al.  Heavy metal contents and enrichment characteristics of dominant plants in wasteland of the downstream of a lead-zinc mining area in Guangxi, Southwest China. , 2018, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[11]  Li Wang,et al.  A review on in situ phytoremediation of mine tailings. , 2017, Chemosphere.

[12]  N. Sarwar,et al.  Phytoremediation strategies for soils contaminated with heavy metals: Modifications and future perspectives. , 2017, Chemosphere.

[13]  M. Benzaazoua,et al.  Hydrogeological Behavior of a Store-and-Release Cover: A Comparison Between Field Column Tests and Numerical Predictions With or Without Hysteresis Effects , 2016, Mine Water and the Environment.

[14]  A. Kchikach,et al.  Hydrogeochemical behavior around the abandoned Kettara mine site, Morocco , 2014 .

[15]  M. González-Alcaraz,et al.  The importance of edaphic niches and pioneer plant species succession for the phytomanagement of mine tailings. , 2013, Environmental pollution.

[16]  M. Benzaazoua,et al.  The Potential Use of Phosphatic Limestone Wastes in the Passive Treatment of AMD: A Laboratory Study , 2013, Mine Water and the Environment.

[17]  M. Benzaazoua,et al.  Assessment of Phosphate Limestone Wastes as a Component of a Store-and-Release Cover in a Semiarid Climate , 2013, Mine Water and the Environment.

[18]  A. Bannari,et al.  Assessment of soil contamination around an abandoned mine in a semi-arid environment using geochemistry and geostatistics: Pre-work of geochemical process modeling with numerical models , 2013 .

[19]  J. A. Peña,et al.  Electrical and Seismic Tomography Used to Image the Structure of a Tailings Pond at the Abandoned Kettara Mine, Morocco , 2012, Mine Water and the Environment.

[20]  C. Gérente,et al.  Potential of Aquatic Macrophytes as Bioindicators of Heavy Metal Pollution in Urban Stormwater Runoff , 2012, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution.

[21]  L. Rufo,et al.  Successional Dynamics of the Climatophile Vegetation of the Mining Territory of the Río Tinto Basin (Huelva, Spain): Soil Characteristics and Implications for Phytoremediation , 2010 .

[22]  U. Krämer.  Metal hyperaccumulation in plants. , 2010, Annual review of plant biology.

[23]  G. Visioli,et al.  Metal tolerance and hyperaccumulation: costs and trade-offs between traits and environment. , 2010 .

[24]  A. O. Rangel,et al.  Remediation of Heavy Metal Contaminated Soils: Phytoremediation as a Potentially Promising Clean-Up Technology , 2009 .

[25]  Bruno Bussière,et al.  Acid Mine Drainage at the Abandoned Kettara Mine (Morocco): 2. Mine Waste Geochemical Behavior , 2008 .

[26]  M. Benzaazoua,et al.  Acid Mine Drainage at the Abandoned Kettara Mine (Morocco): 1. Environmental Characterization , 2008 .

[27]  R. Maier,et al.  Phytoremediation of mine tailings in temperate and arid environments , 2008 .

[28]  S. Blomberg,et al.  Accumulation and partitioning of heavy metals in mangroves: a synthesis of field-based studies. , 2007, Chemosphere.

[29]  LorettaY Li,et al.  Phytoremediation Technology: Hyper-accumulation Metals in Plants , 2007 .

[30]  A. Gupta,et al.  Phytoextraction capacity of the Chenopodium album L. grown on soil amended with tannery sludge. , 2007, Bioresource technology.

[31]  Xinde Cao,et al.  Accumulation of Pb, Cu, and Zn in native plants growing on a contaminated Florida site. , 2006, The Science of the total environment.

[32]  E. Marguí,et al.  Comparison of EDXRF and ICP-OES after microwave digestion for element determination in plant specimens from an abandoned mining area , 2005 .

[33]  J. Morel,et al.  Concentration and distribution of cobalt in higher plants: The use of micro-PIXE spectroscopy , 2005 .

[34]  Thomas J. Hughes,et al.  INTRODUCTION TO QUALITY ASSURANCE PRACTICES AT THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY , 1999 .

[35]  D. R. Linden,et al.  Long‐Term Effects of Biosolids Applications on Heavy Metal Bioavailability in Agricultural Soils , 1997 .

[36]  T. Hernández,et al.  Transference of heavy metals from a calcareous soil amended with sewage-sludge compost to barley plants , 1996 .