Removal of arsenic and manganese from the tailing storage facility of a gold mine using Vetiveria zizanioides, Bambusa bambos and Pennisetum purpureum

Abstract

Phytoremediation is a promising technology to remediate heavy metal contaminated soil. The main objective of this study was to investigate the potential of using Vetiveria zizanioides, Bambusa bambos and Pennisetum purpureum to remove arsenic (As) and manganese (Mn) from the metal (loid) tailings pond of a gold mine. The aerial or aboveground parts (shoots and leaves) and underground parts (roots) of these plants, as well as the metal (loid) tailings soil, were analyzed for the As and Mn contents using the USEPA technique. The samples were collected every 30 d over a 180 d cultivation period. This study has shown that the relative growth rate (RGR) of all three plants’ dry weight decreased with increasing cultivation time to 180 d. The results exhibited that P. purpureum had the highest growth rate and accumulated the highest As and Mn levels in the aerial parts at 15.5 and 943.3 mg/plant, respectively. On the other hand, the accumulation of As and Mn in the underground parts were 1.8 and 93.7 mg/plant, respectively. Moreover, P. purpureum is very tolerant to various soil and weather conditions; and it provides abundant biomass. Hence, rather than using it as phytoremediation only, P. purpureum could be utilized as biomass feedstock for producing heat and electricity.