Bioaccumulation of heavy metals from wastewater through a Typha latifolia and Thelypteris palustris phytoremediation system

Animal production is a source of heavy metals in livestock wastewater and also a key link in the food chain, with negative impacts on human and animal health. In intensive animal production systems, the most critical elements are zinc and copper. In order to development of innovative non-invasive strategies to reduce the environmental impact of livestock, this study assessed the ability of two plants, Typha latifolia and Thelypteris palustris, to bioaccumulate the heavy metals used in animal nutrition, from wastewater. Four mesocosms (width 2.0 m, length 2.0 m, 695 L of water, 210 kg of soil) were assembled outdoors at the Botanical Garden. Two of them were planted with T. latifolia (TL treated, n = 30; TL control, n = 30) and two with T. palustris (TP treated, n = 60; TP control, n = 60). In T0 a solution of a mineral additive premix (Zn 44.02 mg/L; Cu 8.63 mg/L) was dissolved in the treated mesocosms. At T0, d 15 (T1) and d 45 (T2) samples of roots, leaves, stems, soil and water were collected, dried, mineralized and analyzed using ICP-MS in order to obtain HMs content. We found that T. latifolia and T. palustris accumulate and translocate Zn, Cu from contaminated wastewater into plant tissues in a way that is directly related to the exposure time (T2 for Zn: 271.64 ± 17.70, 409.26 ± 17.70 for Cu: 47.54 ± 3.56, 105.58 ± 3.56 mg/kg of DM, respectively). No visual toxicity signs were observed during the experimental period. This phytoremediation approach could be used as an eco-sustainable approach to counteract the output of heavy metals.