Evaluation of dendroremediation potential of ten Quercus spp. for heavy metals contaminated soil: A three-year field trial

Xiaogang Li; Jiang Xiao; Mir Md Abdus Salam; Guangcai Chen

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158232

Evaluation of dendroremediation potential of ten Quercus spp. for heavy metals contaminated soil: A three-year field trial

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Dec 10;851(Pt 1):158232. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158232. Epub 2022 Aug 22.

Authors

Xiaogang Li¹, Jiang Xiao², Mir Md Abdus Salam³, Guangcai Chen⁴

Affiliations

¹ Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311400, China; Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China.
² Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311400, China.
³ School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Yliopistokatu 7, P.O. Box 111, 80100 Joensuu, Finland; Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Yliopistokatu 6B, 80100 Joensuu, Finland.
⁴ Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311400, China. Electronic address: gcchen@caf.ac.cn.

PMID: 36007636
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158232

Abstract

Woody plants have gained considerable attention for remediating soils contaminated with heavy metals because of their cost-efficient and ecologically friendly nature. However, most studies on potential phytoremediation evaluation are limited to short-term experiments in greenhouse or field, meaning that differences may exist between laboratory results and application in natural environment. In this study, ten Quercus spp. were tested in a consecutive 3-year field trial (2018-2020) to assess their dendroremediation abilities for Cd and Zn contaminated soil. The results revealed that nine Quercus spp. demonstrated good survival ability without any stress, except for Quercus velutina Lam., in the 3-year growth period. In 2020, Quercus texana Buckley and Quercus fabri Hance plants produced the greatest biomass (2100 and 1880 g plant^-1) among the nine Quercus spp. Quercus texana had the highest total Cd accumulation (39.3 mg plant^-1) in 2020, which was 8.5 times higher than that in 2018, followed by Quercus pagoda Raf. (8.85 mg plant^-1) and Q. fabri (8.07 mg plant^-1) plants, respectively, whereas Cd accumulation increased by 7.4 times for Q. pagoda and 22 times for Q. fabri compared to 2018. The results from 2020 indicated that Q. fabri had the highest Zn accumulation (205 mg plant^-1), followed by Quercus nigra L. (149 mg plant^-1) and Q. texana (140 mg plant^-1), respectively, and these values increased 14, 6.4, and 6.2 times in comparison to 2018. The comprehensive bioaccumulation index (CBAI) was proposed to evaluate the dendroremediation potential of Quercus spp., suggesting that Q. texana and Q. fabri had the most outstanding potential for remediation of Cd and Zn polluted soil, with the values of 0.82 and 0.60, respectively. In summary, Q. texana and Q. fabri are ideal for remediating Cd/Zn-contaminated soil, and long-term field trials and the CBAI method are helpful for comprehensively evaluating the remediation capacity of trees.

Keywords: Cd; Comprehensive bioaccumulation index; Oak; Phytoremediation; Zn.

MeSH terms

Biodegradation, Environmental
Cadmium
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Plants
Quercus*
Soil
Soil Pollutants* / analysis

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Soil
Soil Pollutants
Cadmium