Phytoremediation of Arsenic-Contaminated Soil in China

Arsenic (As) is a common pollutant of concern in environmental clean up because its contamination is recognized to lead to a variety of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other health problems. Because Pteris vittata L. was discovered to hyperaccumulate As from soils, As hyperaccumulators have been attracting more and more attention and are proposed to be promising for phytoremediation. Although laboratory studies on the tolerance and accumulation of As by the hyperaccumulators are available, little information about field performance of phytoremediation using the plants is available. Here, the research priorities for As-phytoremediation technologies, As accumulation, and the relationships between As and other elements in the plants, are discussed. Primarily, however, results from a pilot field study on phytoremediation of As-contaminated soil in Chenzhou City of Hunan Province, China are summarized. It is concluded that P. vittata can effectively phytoextract As from an As-contaminated site under a subtropical climate.