Using the intercropping system of hyperaccumulators and economical crop to remediate the Pb-Zn mining contaminated soil

The health risks posed by heavy metals (HMs) contamination have received increasing attention. Phytoextraction using hyperaccumulator has been given specific focus. Intercropping of hyperaccumulator and economical crops is now... [ view full abstract ]

The health risks posed by heavy metals (HMs) contamination have received increasing attention. Phytoextraction using hyperaccumulator has been given specific focus. Intercropping of hyperaccumulator and economical crops is now being widely utilized in slightly or moderately HMs contaminated farmlands.
This study conducts both laboratory experiments and field trials, to evaluate the efficiency of intercropping system, from both the aspect of cleanup ability and the aspect of economic merits. Based on the assumption that hyperaccumulator can mobilize HMs in rhizosphere and that hyperaccumulator and economical crop have different tendencies to approach and mobilize or immobilize HMs, Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Absorption Spectrum and X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging are utilized to disclosed the HMs species and root architecture in the rhizosphere. The impacts of intercropping system on the transfer and transportation process of HMs from soil to plant in the rhizosphere of the intercropping system are to be elucidated. In the field, the intercropping system was utilized in a farmland contaminated by a nearby Pb-Zn mine. The remediation efficiency and the produced economical benefits in a two-year remediation period are to be calculated. Results will be instructive for the optimization of phytoremediation technology using intercropping system.