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Effects of amendments and aided phytostabilization of an energy crop on the metal availability and leaching in mine tailings using a pot test

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Abstract

A complete orthogonal experiment using a pot test is conducted to investigate the effects of four amendments (biochar, peat, manure, and non-contaminated soil (NCS)) on the metal availability, mobility, and phytostabilization potential of an energy crop, king grass (Pennisetum purpureum × P. thyphoideum), in Pb/Zn mine tailings. The addition of amendments significantly increased the pH and fertility of the tailings, while significantly decreasing the heavy metal available contents in the tailings. The available Cd, Pb, Zn, and As concentrations in the tailings in the treatment amended with biochar+NCS+peat+manure were 51.00%, 36.62%, 50.57%, and 75.88%, respectively, lower than those in the treatment control. The king grass survived in the tailings without amendments, while amendments made the plant grow well or better in the tailings than in NCS. The addition of amendments significantly reduced the content of heavy metals and bioaccumulation factor (BCF) in the plant root but increased the translocation factor (TF) of Cd, Zn, and As and had little effect on the TF of Pb. The TF for heavy metals in plant were lower than one for all of the treatments. During a leaching period of 30 days, the pH of the leachate declined slowly and then maintained at 6.0~6.6. The addition of the amendments significantly reduced the metal concentrations of the leachates, and the highest declines were 50.46%, 20.04%, 41.58%, and 47.04% for Cd, Pb, Zn, and As, respectively. Biochar had a higher immobilization capacity for Cd, Pb, Zn, and As than manure, peat, and NCS. King grass could be used to aid phytostabilization for Cd- and Pb-polluted tailings, and biochar-rich amendments were effective for the in situ immobilization of metals. Further field monitoring is necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of king grass and amendments under the climatic conditions of China.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for valuable comments on the manuscript.

Funding

The project was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi (2018GXNSFAA138045), the Guangxi Science Technology Major Project (GuikeAA17204047), the Guangxi Science Technology Project (Guikezhuan1599001-1), the Program for High Level Innovation Team and Outstanding Scholar of Universities in Guangxi (GuiCaiJiaoHan[2018]319), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi (2018GXNSFAA138202), and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0800800).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control Theory and Technology, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 541004, China

    Bo Gao, Xingfeng Zhang, Chao Tian, Xuehong Zhang & Jie Liu

  2. Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China

    Bo Gao

  3. Collaborative Innovation Center for Water Pollution Control and Water Safety in Karst Area, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 541004, China

    Xingfeng Zhang, Chao Tian, Xuehong Zhang & Jie Liu

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  1. Bo Gao
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Correspondence to Xingfeng Zhang.

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Gao, B., Zhang, X., Tian, C. et al. Effects of amendments and aided phytostabilization of an energy crop on the metal availability and leaching in mine tailings using a pot test. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 2745–2759 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07171-x

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