GEOCHEMICAL SOIL MAPPING, PHYTOEXTRACTION OF CRITICAL ELEMENTS AND ENERGY PLANT PRODUCTION IN THE POST MINING AREA OF FREIBERG

The soil, heterogeneous in nature, is a very important part of the environment. It plays a major role in the existence, health and functioning of the organisms found in it, the other compartments of the biosphere and the life forms in them. Therefore, a negative deviation from a healthy soil will have a great impact on the biosphere and the environment at large. Some of these unhealthy deviations are caused by human activities and the aftermath of such activities such as mining and resource prospecting within the earth crust. Since these deviations are now very common and because economic gains from mining and prospecting of resources must continue, several research works are focused on highlighting the possible ways of carrying out sustainable mining and restoring the soil back to health conditions

GEOCHEMICAL SOIL MAPPING, PHYTOEXTRACTION OF CRITICAL ELEMENTS AND ENERGY PLANT PRODUCTION IN THE POST MINING AREA OF FREIBERG

The soil, heterogeneous in nature, is a very important part of the environment. It plays a major role in the existence, health and functioning of the organisms found in it, the other compartments of the biosphere and the life forms in them. Therefore, a negative deviation from a healthy soil will have a great impact on the biosphere and the environment at large. Some of these unhealthy deviations are caused by human activities and the aftermath of such activities such as mining and resource prospecting within the earth crust. Since these deviations are now very common and because economic gains from mining and prospecting of resources must continue, several research works are focused on highlighting the possible ways of carrying out sustainable mining and restoring the soil back to health conditions

J. curcas and Manihot esculenta are potential super plants for phytoremediation in multi-contaminated mine spoils

Phytoremediation approaches have increasingly been applied in environmental remediation projects. In this study, the potentials of Manihot esculenta (M. esculenta), Vigna unguiculata (V. unguiculata) and J. curcas curcas (J. curcas) in remediating multi-contaminated mine spoils was evaluated. The target potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are Cd, As, Zn, Pb, and Hg. The test plants were grown and monitored under growth stress conditions for 270 days. Using inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry and EPA method 200.8, the total elemental contents in the shoot and root parts of the plants were determined. Significant differences (p J. curcas> V. unguiculata was observed for multi-contaminant removal in soils. Techniques for enhancing the easy cultivation of the test plants are recommended to enhance their applicabilities in phytoremediation projects

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Phytoremediation approaches have increasingly been applied in environmental remediation projects. In this study, the potentials of Manihot esculenta (M. esculenta), Vigna unguiculata (V. unguiculata) and J. curcas curcas (J. curcas) in remediating multi-contaminated mine spoils was evaluated. The target potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are Cd, As, Zn, Pb, and Hg. The test plants were grown and monitored under growth stress conditions for 270 days. Using inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry and EPA method 200.8, the total elemental contents in the shoot and root parts of the plants were determined. Significant differences (p J. curcas> V. unguiculata was observed for multi-contaminant removal in soils. Techniques for enhancing the easy cultivation of the test plants are recommended to enhance their applicabilities in phytoremediation projects

Field Studies on the Effect of Bioaugmentation with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 on Plant Accumulation of Rare Earth Elements and Selected Trace Elements

This study is an investigation of the effect of soil bioaugmentation (inoculation) on a field scale with the commercially available product RhizoVital®42, containing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB4, on element bioavailability, plant biomass production, as well as accumulation of rare earth elements (REEs), germanium, and selected trace elements. Zea mays and Helianthus annuus were selected as test plants. Post-harvest, results showed inoculation increased biomass production of Z. mays and H. annuus by 24% and 26%, albeit insignificant at p ≤ 0.05. Bioaugmentation enhanced Z. mays shoot content of P, Cd, and Ge by percentages between 73% and 80% (significant only for Ge) and decreased shoot content of REET, Pb, and Cu by 28%, 35%, and 59%, respectively. For H. annuus grown on bioaugmented soil, shoot content of Ca, Cu, Ge, REET, and Pb increased by over 40%, with a negligible decrease observed for Cd. Summarily, results suggest that bioaugmentation with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42 could enhance biomass production, increase soil element bioavailability enhance, and increase or reduce plant accumulation of target elements. Additionally, differences in P use efficiency could influence bioaugmentation effects on P accumulation

Impact of Soil Inoculation with <i>Bacillus amyloliquefaciens</i> FZB42 on the Phytoaccumulation of Germanium, Rare Earth Elements, and Potentially Toxic Elements

Bioaugmentation promises benefits for agricultural production as well as for remediation and phytomining approaches. Thus, this study investigated the effect of soil inoculation with the commercially available product RhizoVital®42, which contains Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42, on nutrient uptake and plant biomass production as well as on the phytoaccumulation of potentially toxic elements, germanium, and rare earth elements (REEs). Zea mays and Fagopyrum esculentum were selected as model plants, and after harvest, the element uptake was compared between plants grown on inoculated versus reference soil. The results indicate an enrichment of B. amyloliquefaciens in inoculated soils as well as no significant impact on the inherent bacterial community composition. For F. esculentum, inoculation increased the accumulation of most nutrients and As, Cu, Pb, Co, and REEs (significant for Ca, Cu, and Co with 40%, 2042%, and 383%, respectively), while it slightly decreased the uptake of Ge, Cr, and Fe. For Z. mays, soil inoculation decreased the accumulation of Cr, Pb, Co, Ge, and REEs (significant for Co with 57%) but showed an insignificant increased uptake of Cu, As, and nutrient elements. Summarily, the results suggest that bioaugmentation with B. amyloliquefaciens is safe and has the potential to enhance/reduce the phytoaccumulation of some elements and the effects of inoculation are plant specific