Field trials for in situ decontamination of heavy metal polluted soils using crops of metal-accumulating plants

Certain wild plants as well as crop plants, so-called hyperaccumulators, are able to accumulate large amounts of heavy metals in aerial parts. This property may be exploited for the clean-up of soil contaminated by metals (phytoremediation), if the yield and metal accumulation are big enough to finish remediation within a reasonable period (e.g. five years). Therefore, the ability of various plants to accumulate zinc and cadmium were compared in field trials. The wild species Thlaspi caerulescens and Alyssum murale as well as the tree Salix viminalis showed a strong ability to accumulate zinc and cadmium. However, phytoremediation of investigated soils contaminated with cadmium (6.6 ppm) or zinc (810 ppm) lasts too long based on present technology. Literature data and preliminary experiments indicate that major obstacles could be overcome: Yield and metal-uptake rates have to be increased dramatically in order to allow remediation within reasonable periods.