How we can utilize the phytoremediation plant biomass by avoiding heavy metal re-addition into the soil?
Dear Rajanna
Your question is very valid and of utmost importance. However, as far as I know, there is no such safe technology to deal with the metal hyper accumulator plants. I remember once there was big claims associated with a Chinese Fern that can bio-concentrate arsenic up to 58000 ppm. But it biomass disposal was a issue of concern without any solution. Even extraction of arsenic from plants was not economical in spite of very high concentration.
In Sri Lanka, Ipomoea aquatica (Kankun) and some reed species are used.
Dear Rajanna
Although there is not many ways to do it but please follow:
http://www.plantstress.com/articles/toxicity_m/phytoremed.pdf
Best Regards
Parisa Ziarati
Dear Mr Rajanna, it largely depends on the level of contamination. main disposal solutions adopted in Europe include disposal in controlled landfill, composting and incineration. In the last case one can extract metals from ashes. Hope this halps you in your research
Apart from the fact that it has to do with the bioavailability of the considering metals in the soil and the metabolic role of each metal to the plant used for remedation,
another very crucial point is the lyfe cycle of plant you choose to collect them (usually before the reproduction phase). As it is known, the metal kinetic is based on a dynamic equilibium. That means that plants do not bioaccumulate linearly. For remedation, you have to collect the plants in the phase before reproduction and to replace them with juveniles. The issue raised after this, is the management of the biomass with the elevated concentrations of metals (it has to be recycled!).
Thank you all for your nice comments and discussions, and I agree with the above answers,
But when the option of dispose or recycling of the biomass arises, again it has a problem of contamination or re-adding to the soil through decomposition if the heavy metals accumulated in non-edible parts of any agricultural crops. When the same was happened with trees like ipomea, eucalyptus, acacia etc, the wood or trunk can be used for architecture purpose. But what about the leaves and its recycling. I think its need to be discussed.
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