STUDIES AND RESEARCH ON PHRAGMITES AUSTRALIS' (COMMON REED) ABSORPTION CAPACITY OF HEAVY METALS FROM THE SOIL IN ROMAN CITY, ROMANIA

• Published in: International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference : SGEM Vol. 18; no. 3.1; pp. 671 - 678
• Main Authors: Chitimus, Alexandra-Dana, Cochiorca, Alina, Nedeff, Valentin, Barsan, Narcis, Muscalu (Plescan), Oana
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Sofia Surveying Geology & Mining Ecology Management (SGEM) 01.01.2018
• Subjects: Absorption; Absorption coefficient; Absorptivity; Aquatic plants; Bioaccumulation; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Cadmium; Capacity; Chemical elements; Chemical pollution; Chromium; Copper; Crop development; Ecosystems; Elements; Engineering; Environmental engineering; Environmental factors; Exploitation; Flowers & plants; Heavy metals; Historic sites; Historical metallurgy; Industrial pollution; Iron; Lead; Marshes; Metals; Nickel; Nutrition; Organic chemistry; Phragmites australis; Plant growth; Pollutants; Rivers; Sediment pollution; Soil; Soil chemistry; Soil conditions; Soil contamination; Soil pollution; Soils; Storage; Toxic pollutants; Transfer factor; Zinc; Moldova River; Moldova; Romania
• ISSN: 1314-2704
• DOI: 10.5593/sgem2018/3.1/S12.087

Our research aimed at determining Phragmites australis' (common reed) absorption capacity of heavy metals from the soil in Roman city (downstream and upstream), Romania. Heavy metals are chemical elements that belong to the natural ecological systems, but they become pollutants once with their exploitation. Heavy metals are an important category of toxic pollutants establish. Unlike organic pollutants, metals are not biodegradable, have an character mobile less in general, and from those cases persists in storage compartments (soil, sediment) for a long period of time. A certain quantity of metal is absorbed by the plant from the soil, in normal conditions, as a nutrition element (Fe, N, Cu, Zn) or as a passive element (Pb, Cd). High concentrations in the soil - resulting from pollution - determine, depending on the chemical features of soils, the absorption of high levels in plants, sometimes reaching toxic levels with negative effects on plant growth and crop development as well as with undesirable consequences for the other environmental factors. The plants' capacity to absorb metals from their environment is assessed by means of the relation between the concentration of the element in the plant and its concentration in the soil, named biological absorption coefficient, bioaccumulation index or transfer factor. Siret River and Moldova River records lower charges of Ni, Cu and Cd indicators, with impacting on banks related, charges which are due to the heavy metals discharged historic from the Roman city's industrial platform. The highest absorption capacity of heavy metals from the soil for Phragmites australis was observed in case of Cd, and the lowest absorption capacity of heavy metals from the soil was identified in case of Cr.