Trial site, Scarlino, Toscana, Italy
Scarlino, ceneri di arsenopirite (ex Nuova Solmine)
An industrial area in the province of Grosseto, next to a sulphuric acid plant that ran from 1962 to 1995: 1.5 million tonnes of arsenopyrite cinders were dumped here, rich in arsenic and metals (Al, Fe, Cu, Co, Cr, Pb).
Contaminants
Plants and fungi at this site
PhytoremediationField scale
Pteris vittata, Populus deltoides 'Dvina', Populus × canadensis 'Orion'
Ciurli, Lenzi, Alpi and Pardossi (University of Pisa) planted the fern Pteris vittata and two poplar clones on the cinders, in pots and on site, following survival, tissue arsenic and stress markers for 24 months. The abstract of that paper does not name the site; Scarlino is given in the same group's later study on the same material. In a greenhouse, Lampis and colleagues then grew the fern for four months on cinders and compost, with and without arsenic-resistant bacteria isolated from the site.
Outcome In the field the authors judge the fern-poplar co-planting suitable, but the abstract gives no amount of arsenic removed and notes that irrigation, tillage and amendments are needed for the plants to establish. In the greenhouse the bacteria raised fern biomass by up to 45% and arsenic removal efficiency from 13% to 35% in four months.
- Ciurli et al., Arsenic uptake and translocation by plants in pot and field experiments, International Journal of Phytoremediation, 2014
- Lampis et al., Promotion of arsenic phytoextraction efficiency in the fern Pteris vittata by the inoculation of As-resistant bacteria: a soil bioremediation perspective, Frontiers in Plant Science, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2015
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Pteris vittataChinese brake fernEvidence: field
- Agrostis capillarisCommon bentEvidence: field
- Cannabis sativaIndustrial hempEvidence: field
- Festuca rubraRed fescueEvidence: field
- Populus albaWhite poplarEvidence: field
- Ricinus communisCastor beanEvidence: field
Fungi
- Funneliformis mosseaeEvidence: greenhouse
- Rhizophagus irregularisEvidence: greenhouse
- Fomitopsis pinicolaRed-belted conkEvidence: laboratory
- Aspergillus nigerBlack mouldEvidence: laboratory
- Mucor circinelloidesEvidence: laboratory
- Agaricus bisporusButton mushroomEvidence: laboratory
The rest are on the contaminant pages.
Nearby
SIN, Piombino (Livorno), Toscana
Piombino
21 km
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- Petroleum hydrocarbons
- Polychlorinated biphenyls
- Chlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE, chloroform)
Trial, Toscana
Murlo, suoli serpentinitici
55 km
Phytoremediation
SIN, Orbetello, Monte Argentario (Grosseto), Toscana
Orbetello - former Sitoco area
63 km
SIN, Livorno, Collesalvetti, Toscana
Livorno
83 km
- Petroleum hydrocarbons
- BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes)
- MTBE
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Phytoremediation
Sources
- Ciurli et al., Arsenic uptake and translocation by plants in pot and field experiments, International Journal of Phytoremediation, 2014
- Lampis et al., Promotion of arsenic phytoextraction efficiency in the fern Pteris vittata by the inoculation of As-resistant bacteria: a soil bioremediation perspective, Frontiers in Plant Science, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2015
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.