Innovative technologies of phytoremediation for contaminated soils
type: CreativeWork
description: Heavy metals pollution has become a global problem in all industrialized countries. Since the industrial revolution, a continuous release of heavy metals has led to a severe contamination of the soil. There are many techniques available for the remediation of contaminated soils, that to date represent a constantly evolving field, absorbing a lot of resources for research and development. Phytoremediation is a technique that uses plants to clean up metals and other contaminants from the soil or to make them harmless or less dangerous. Cynara cardunculus L. (cardoon), a perennial species from Asteraceae family, native to Mediterranean countries, is a crop studied as a metal accumulator in several researches. In this work, two experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of Cadmium (Cd) and Arsenic (As) on growth of different cardoon subspecies and to determine if this crop can be used for the remediation of polluted soils, combining this application with energy production. Different As and Cd concentrations were tested in Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis in Experiment 1, with the aim to study the biological response of cardoon to heavy metals stress. In cardoon, the biomass production and Cd and As concentrations were determined in 4 different stages of the biological cycle in different parts of plant. The results showed that the cardoon was a plant that could tolerate the presence of Cd and As, even in high doses. Under Cd treatment, the Cd concentration decreased in the roots while increased in the leaves over time. Under As treatment, the As concentration in cardoon tissues increased with increasing As concentration; in particular the plants showed a several reduction in the production of biomass and the highest dose of As caused the death of the plants. In the combined Cd and As treatments, the plants improved resistance to As and Cd and the presence of Cd increased the ability of cardoon to tolerate As up to 45 days after artificial contamination. In the …
abstract: Heavy metals pollution has become a global problem in all industrialized countries. Since the industrial revolution, a continuous release of heavy metals has led to a severe contamination of the soil. There are many techniques available for the remediation of contaminated soils, that to date represent a constantly evolving field, absorbing a lot of resources for research and development. Phytoremediation is a technique that uses plants to clean up metals and other contaminants from the soil or to make them harmless or less dangerous. Cynara cardunculus L. (cardoon), a perennial species from Asteraceae family, native to Mediterranean countries, is a crop studied as a metal accumulator in several researches. In this work, two experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of Cadmium (Cd) and Arsenic (As) on growth of different cardoon subspecies and to determine if this crop can be used for the remediation of polluted soils, combining this application with energy production. Different As and Cd concentrations were tested in Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis in Experiment 1, with the aim to study the biological response of cardoon to heavy metals stress. In cardoon, the biomass production and Cd and As concentrations were determined in 4 different stages of the biological cycle in different parts of plant. The results showed that the cardoon was a plant that could tolerate the presence of Cd and As, even in high doses. Under Cd treatment, the Cd concentration decreased in the roots while increased in the leaves over time. Under As treatment, the As concentration in cardoon tissues increased with increasing As concentration; in particular the plants showed a several reduction in the production of biomass and the highest dose of As caused the death of the plants. In the combined Cd and As treatments, the plants improved resistance to As and Cd and the presence of Cd increased the ability of cardoon to tolerate As up to 45 days after artificial contamination. In the …
author: LEONARDI, CHIARA GIUSEPPA ELENA
language: eng
keywords: Arsenicum, Cadmium, cardoon, bioaccumulation
date published: 2017-01-31
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:34:58Z
provider: Università degli Studi di Catania
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Università degli studi di Catania

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/582969