Phytoremediation of Metal-Contaminated Aqueous and Solid Systems

Abstract

Removal of environmental contaminants, both organic and inorganic, from wild ecosystems is becoming a topic of increasing concern. As such, phytoremediation, the process of remediating environmental contaminants with plants, has emerged as both a cheaper and more ecologically friendly course of action than many industrial processes. While many phytoremediation studies examine naturally contaminated sites, controlled laboratory systems allow metal uptake to be studied under defined conditions. This study aims to investigate the phytoremediation potential of heavy metals by two Montana-native plants, Artemisia ludoviciana (white sagebrush) and Shepherdia argentea (silver buffaloberry), under controlled laboratory conditions. As chelating agents can increase metal solubility and uptake by plants, citric acid was evaluated as an environmentally friendly enhancement to the phytoremediation process. Plants uptake was investigated in both aqueous and solid (agarose gel) media under three conditions: control (without heavy metals), metal exposure, and metal exposure with citric acid. While investigation into the solid media is still ongoing, preliminary aqueous results indicate that Artemisia effectively bound the metals to its roots with minimal uptake into its shoots (stem, leaves, etc.). Ongoing experiments will determine whether Shepherdia exhibits similar behavior and whether either species can be used in real-world phytoremediation applications.