The bioaccumulation of heavy metals in barley (Hordeum vulgare L) cultivated on fly ash dump mixed with compost and natural zeolite materials

• Main Authors: Smaranda Mâșu, Neculai Dragomir, Florica Morariu, Luminița Nicoleta Jurj, Dumitru Popescu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Agroprint Timisoara 2012-10-01
• Series: Scientific Papers Animal Science and Biotechnologies
• Subjects: compost; fly ash; indigenous volcanic tuff; hordeum vulgare; restoration
• Online Access: http://spasb.ro/index.php/spasb/article/view/378

The physic-chemical characteristics of the upper layers of fly ash dumps are very important when phytostabilizationplant selection is carried out. Plants with topsoil well developed roots, like cereals are used to stabilize fly ash dumpsin order to eliminate the deflation, erosion, etc. These plant species could be used in thephytostabilization/phytoextraction variant taking into account their metal hyper accumulation capacity, and also inphytostabilization variant by adequate topsoil treatments when a decrease mobility of metals from soil to plants isachieved and thus a less toxic crop is obtained. This study presents a comparative analysis of the metalbioaccumulation degree in plant tissues (grain and straw) of barley cultivated on fly ash variants treated withdifferent quantities of compost in the absence/presence of natural zeolite materials, indigenous volcanic tuff. Theaddition of plant debris and sewage sludge compost mixed with natural zeolite materials has lowered thebioaccumulation of Cr with 49%, of Cu with 29%, Fe with more than 77.5%, in grains and straw when compared tountreated fly ash. Barley plants does not allow for Pb and Ni transfer from the fly ash in the aerial part of tissue.