RECARE colleagues from the Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC in Spain have recently published a paper in Science of the Total Environment. The paper - Soil-plant relationships and contamination by trace elements: A review of twenty years of experimentation and monitoring after the Aznalcóllar (SW Spain) mine accident – focuses on a RECARE Case Study area in the south of Spain where severe soil contamination was caused by the Aznalcóllar mine accident in April 1998. The paper reviews the main results of research conducted in the affected area over the last 20 years, focusing on the soil-plant system. The reclamation techniques included the removal of sludge and soil surface layer and use of soil amendments. The effects of different types of amendments at different spatial scales and their effectiveness with time are reviewed. Monitoring of trace elements in soil and their transfer to plants (crops, herbs, shrubs, and trees) are evaluated to assess potential toxicity effects in the foodweb. The utility of some plants (accumulators) with regard to the biomonitoring of trace elements in the environment are also evaluated. Retention of trace elements by plant roots and their associated microorganisms has been used as a low-cost technique for trace element stabilization and soil remediation. The authors also evaluated the experience acquired in making the Guadiamar Green Corridor a large-scale soil reclamation and phytoremediation case study.
For more information about this paper, please contact Teodoro Marañón This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.