Phytoextraction of copper and zinc from an entisol contaminated with heavy metals

Abstract

The use of plants for soil phytoremediation is a technique capable of using photosynthetic plant systems to reduce levels of soil metals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of extracting heavy metals by Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L) plants, grown under an entisol. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, using pots with 8.6 kg of capacity. The experimental design was completely randomized with three replications, with five levels of copper (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 mgdm-3) and five levels of zinc (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 mgdm-3). Plant was harvested 90 days after sowing and the dry matter content, plant and soil heavy metals content were evaluated. With the application of copper and zinc, plant total dry matter decreased and the concentrations of these evaluated metals increased in all plant parts. The Jatropha is more efficient in extracting zinc than copper, which is a demand of a greater number of crops grown in copper contaminated soils.