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Accumulation of heavy metals in native Andean plants: potential tools for soil phytoremediation in Ancash (Peru)

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Abstract

Metal contamination is a recurring problem in Peru, caused mainly by mine tailings from a past active mining activity. The Ancash region has the largest number of environmental liabilities, which mobilizes high levels of metals and acid drainages into soils and freshwater sources, posing a standing risk on human and environmental health. Native plant species spontaneously growing on naturally acidified soils and acid mine tailings show a unique tolerance to high metal concentrations and are thus potential candidates for soil phytoremediation. However, little is known about their propagation capacity and metal accumulation under controlled conditions. In this study, we aimed at characterizing nine native plant species, previously identified as potential hyperaccumulators, from areas impacted by mine tailings in the Ancash region. Plants were grown on mine soils under greenhouse conditions during 5 months, after which the concentration of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn was analyzed in roots, shoots, and soils. The bioaccumulation (BAF) and translocation factor (TF) were calculated to determine the amount of each metal accumulated in the roots and shoots and to identify which species could be better suited for phytoremediation purposes. Soil samples contained high Cd (6.50–49.80 mg/kg), Cu (159.50–1187.00 mg/kg), Ni (3.50–8.70 mg/kg), Pb (1707.00–4243.00 mg/kg), and Zn (909.00–7100.00 mg/kg) concentrations exceeding national environmental quality standards. After exposure to mine tailings, concentrations of metals in shoots were highest in Werneria nubigena (Cd, 16.68 mg/kg; Cu, 41.36 mg/kg; Ni, 26.85 mg/kg; Zn, 1691.03 mg/kg), Pennisetum clandestinum (Pb, 236.86 mg/kg), and Medicago lupulina (Zn, 1078.10 mg/kg). Metal concentrations in the roots were highest in Juncus bufonius (Cd, 34.34 mg/kg; Cu, 251.07 mg/kg; Ni, 6.60 mg/kg; Pb, 718.44 mg/kg) and M. lupulina (Zn, 2415.73 mg/kg). The greatest BAF was calculated for W. nubigena (Cd, 1.92; Cu, 1.20; Ni, 6.50; Zn, 3.50) and J. bufonius (Ni, 3.02; Zn, 1.30); BCF for Calamagrostis recta (Cd, 1.09; Cu, 1.80; Ni, 1.09), J. bufonius (Cd, 3.91; Cu, 1.79; Ni, 18.36), and Achyrocline alata (Ni, 137; Zn, 1.85); and TF for W. nubigena (Cd, 2.36; Cu, 1.70; Ni, 2.42; Pb, 1.17; Zn, 1.43), A. alata (Cd, 1.14; Pb, 1.94), J. bufonius (Ni, 2.72; Zn, 1.63), and P. clandestinum (Zn, 1.14). Our results suggest that these plant species have a great potential for soil phytoremediation, given their capability to accumulate and transfer metals and their tolerance to highly metal-polluted environments in the Andean region.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the National Innovation Program for Competitiveness and Productivity (Innovate Peru, contract no. 162-PNICP-PIAP-2015). We are also very thankful to Ing. Zenobio Ospina Oré for his invaluable assistance with plant propagation in greenhouse facilities and Dr. Edwin J. Palomino for organization and field logistics in Huaraz.

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  1. Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Honorio Delgado 430 SMP, Lima, Peru

    José Chang Kee, María J. Gonzales, Olga Ponce, Lorena Ramírez & Raúl Loayza-Muro

  2. Universidad Nacional Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo, Av. Centenario 200, Huaraz, Peru

    Vladimir León, Adelia Torres & Melissa Corpus

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  1. José Chang Kee
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  2. María J. Gonzales
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Chang Kee, J., Gonzales, M.J., Ponce, O. et al. Accumulation of heavy metals in native Andean plants: potential tools for soil phytoremediation in Ancash (Peru). Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 33957–33966 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3325-z

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