{"title":"Ensuring food safety by combining phytoremediation and food crop cultivation: a case study in farmlands near a lead-zinc mine in Southwest China.","authors":"Wenting Liu, Ming Li, Landry Soh Tamehe, Yuhong Tang, Yujiao Shi, Lishan Huang","doi":"10.1007/s10653-025-02377-0","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Environmental pollution by heavy metals (HMs) in mining areas is a major concern worldwide since it pollutes the surrounding surface water, groundwater, and farmland soils. Once in the food chain, HMs can cause mild to life-threatening side effects thereby negatively affecting the environment and human health. To remedy this situation, cost-effective and environmentally friendly remediation approaches are needed to ensure food safety. Phytoremediation is a remediation technique that meets these criteria; however, it is still unclear whether co-cultivation of food crops during phytoremediation can produce crops that meet the required safety standards. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of phytoremediation and food crop co-cultivation to produce \"HM-free\" crops from farmland soils in Sidi village in Xingping Town of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China, contaminated by HMs from a lead-zinc mine. Our results show that (1) After 19 months of phytoremediation, the redistribution of HMs (cadmium, lead, and arsenic) from acidic to slightly acidic, neutral, and mostly weakly alkaline soils was promoted. This resulted in a reduction in HMs availability and consequently the amount absorbed by food crops. (2) The concentrations of important nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were significantly increased during phytoremediation. This translated to increased plant biomass in Celosia Argentea L. (26.09%), Sedum erythrostictum Migo (18.52%), and Amaranthus cruentus L. (21.67, 33.33, and 66.67%, for consecutive harvests). (3) Co-cultivation of maize crops with low HM accumulator plants in slightly and moderately polluted sites or a rotation of rapeseed-sunflower plants with hyperaccumulator plants in the highly polluted site ensured 100% compliance with the food crop and feed safety standards. Our findings can provide an important reference for studies aimed at managing polluted sites and ensuring food safety.</p>","PeriodicalId":11759,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","volume":"47 3","pages":"76"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Geochemistry and Health","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-025-02377-0","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Environmental pollution by heavy metals (HMs) in mining areas is a major concern worldwide since it pollutes the surrounding surface water, groundwater, and farmland soils. Once in the food chain, HMs can cause mild to life-threatening side effects thereby negatively affecting the environment and human health. To remedy this situation, cost-effective and environmentally friendly remediation approaches are needed to ensure food safety. Phytoremediation is a remediation technique that meets these criteria; however, it is still unclear whether co-cultivation of food crops during phytoremediation can produce crops that meet the required safety standards. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of phytoremediation and food crop co-cultivation to produce "HM-free" crops from farmland soils in Sidi village in Xingping Town of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China, contaminated by HMs from a lead-zinc mine. Our results show that (1) After 19 months of phytoremediation, the redistribution of HMs (cadmium, lead, and arsenic) from acidic to slightly acidic, neutral, and mostly weakly alkaline soils was promoted. This resulted in a reduction in HMs availability and consequently the amount absorbed by food crops. (2) The concentrations of important nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were significantly increased during phytoremediation. This translated to increased plant biomass in Celosia Argentea L. (26.09%), Sedum erythrostictum Migo (18.52%), and Amaranthus cruentus L. (21.67, 33.33, and 66.67%, for consecutive harvests). (3) Co-cultivation of maize crops with low HM accumulator plants in slightly and moderately polluted sites or a rotation of rapeseed-sunflower plants with hyperaccumulator plants in the highly polluted site ensured 100% compliance with the food crop and feed safety standards. Our findings can provide an important reference for studies aimed at managing polluted sites and ensuring food safety.
期刊介绍：
Environmental Geochemistry and Health publishes original research papers and review papers across the broad field of environmental geochemistry. Environmental geochemistry and health establishes and explains links between the natural or disturbed chemical composition of the earth’s surface and the health of plants, animals and people.
Beneficial elements regulate or promote enzymatic and hormonal activity whereas other elements may be toxic. Bedrock geochemistry controls the composition of soil and hence that of water and vegetation. Environmental issues, such as pollution, arising from the extraction and use of mineral resources, are discussed. The effects of contaminants introduced into the earth’s geochemical systems are examined. Geochemical surveys of soil, water and plants show how major and trace elements are distributed geographically. Associated epidemiological studies reveal the possibility of causal links between the natural or disturbed geochemical environment and disease. Experimental research illuminates the nature or consequences of natural or disturbed geochemical processes.
The journal particularly welcomes novel research linking environmental geochemistry and health issues on such topics as: heavy metals (including mercury), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and mixed chemicals emitted through human activities, such as uncontrolled recycling of electronic-waste; waste recycling; surface-atmospheric interaction processes (natural and anthropogenic emissions, vertical transport, deposition, and physical-chemical interaction) of gases and aerosols; phytoremediation/restoration of contaminated sites; food contamination and safety; environmental effects of medicines; effects and toxicity of mixed pollutants; speciation of heavy metals/metalloids; effects of mining; disturbed geochemistry from human behavior, natural or man-made hazards; particle and nanoparticle toxicology; risk and the vulnerability of populations, etc.
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