<em>Pinus halepensis</em> in Contaminated Mining Sites: Study of the Transfer of Metals in the Plant–Soil System Using the BCR Procedure
Pegah Kharazian,
Emilia Fernández-Ondoño,
María Noelia Jiménez,
Manuel Sierra Aragón,
Antonio Aguirre-Arcos,
Gianluigi Bacchetta,
Giovanna Cappai,
Giovanni De Giudici
Affiliations
Pegah Kharazian
Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato-Blocco A, 09042 Monserrato CA, Italy
Emilia Fernández-Ondoño
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Granada, C/Severo Ochoa, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
María Noelia Jiménez
Department of Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy, Campus de Cartuja s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Manuel Sierra Aragón
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Granada, C/Severo Ochoa, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
Antonio Aguirre-Arcos
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Granada, C/Severo Ochoa, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
Gianluigi Bacchetta
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity (CCB), University of Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi 11-13, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Giovanna Cappai
Department of Civil-Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, Piazza d’Armi 1, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Giovanni De Giudici
Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato-Blocco A, 09042 Monserrato CA, Italy
The study aimed at evaluating the geochemical fractions of Zn, Pb, Cd and their bioavailability in soil in-depth and around the root of Pinus halepensis grown on heavily contaminated mine tailing in south-western Sardinia, Italy. The contaminated substrates were partly investigated in a previous study and are composed of pyrite, dolomite, calcite, quartz, gypsum, barite, iron-sulfate and iron-oxide. The geochemical fractions and bioavailability of Zn, Pb and Cd were measured through the BCR extractions method. Cadmium in the superficial contaminated substrates was mainly found in the exchangeable BCR fraction. Zinc and lead were often found in the residual BCR fraction. PCA confirmed that the uppermost alkaline-calcareous layers of mine waste were different with respect to the deeper acidic layers. We demonstrated that Pb and Zn were less present in the exchangeable form around the roots of P. halepensis and in soil depth. This can be due to uptake or other beneficial effect of rhizospheres interaction processes. Further studies will shed light to confirm if P. halepensis is a good candidate to apply phytostabilization in mine tailing.
