Assessing Capability of Artemisia aucheri Boiss for Phytoremediation of Soils Contaminated with Heavy Metals

Phytoremediation is an efficient approach that uses plants to remediate the polluted environments.The aim of this research was to evaluate phytoremediation ability of Artemisia aucheriin the contaminated soil to Cadmium, Lead, Zinc and Nickel. A greenhouse experiment was performed to investigate the effect of Municipal Solid Waste Compost (MSWC) on phytoremediation efficiency of A. aucheri in 2017. For this,natural soil samples were taken from polluted soils of the rangelands around National Iranian Lead & Zinc Company-Zanjan, Iran. Then, MSWC with 0, 1, and 2 wt. was mixed with soil samples. Then, 4 kg pots were filled with this soil and seeds of A. aucheri were sown. After 6 months in the end of the experiment, plant samples were collected and shoot and root dry weights were measured and contents of Cd, Pb, Zn and Ni were estimated. To investigate the capability of A. aucheri to uptake and accumulate metals, the factors of Translocation Factor (TF) and Bio-Concentration Factor (BCF), and Remediation Factor (RF) were determined. The results indicated MSWC 2% uptake maximum Cd and Ni values in roots (80.80 and 10 mgkg−1, respectively) and shoots (65.60 and 6.28 mgkg−1, respectively) of the A. aucheri. Plants grown in pots treated with MSWC 2% had lower values of Pb in roots (3955 mgkg−1) and shoots (24.40 mgkg−1) as compared with control. Thus, it was concluded that A. aucheri can be an accumulator for Cd and Ni in the contaminated soils amended with MSWC. In contrast, usage of MSWC has been indicated to immobilize Pb and Zn in the soil. In general, A. aucheri can be used in raised phytoremediation Pb, Cd, Zn and Ni in the polluted soils. Evaluation of A. aucheri potential, however, needs future research of the impact of MSWC in the field conditions.