Phytoremediation of Copper-Contaminated Soil Using Helianthus annuus, Brassica nigra, and Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.: A Pot Scale Study

摘要

The present study indicates that B. nigra and L. esculentum Mill. are potential phytoextractors of Cu. Both of these plants accumulated high concentrations of Cu, primarily in their roots, but not in their shoots, making the edible portions of the plants safe for consumption. This pattern of distribution is typical of excluder plants, with higher concentrations of metals accumulated in their roots than in their shoots. The total metal content in the harvestable part of the plant bio-mass was the total amount of metal removed from the soil. Considering the high biomass production of tomato, it can be used in phytore-mediation process. H. annum also showed high biomass production and phytoaccumulation capacity; however, its high Cu accumulation in shoots makes the resulting harvestable portions of the plant harmful to living beings.