ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Chelant-Assisted Accumulation of Cd, Cu,
and Zn in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) Biomass
as a Renewable Energy Feedstock
Alfreda Kasiuliene1, Valdas Paulauskas1, Jurate Kumpiene2
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1Institute of Environment and Ecology, Aleksandras Stulginskis University,
Universiteto str. 11, Akademija LT-53361, Kaunas dist., Lithuania
2Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering,
Lulea University of Technology, 971 87 Lulea, Sweden
Submission date: 2016-01-20
Final revision date: 2016-05-03
Acceptance date: 2016-05-03
Publication date: 2016-10-05
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2016;25(5):1985-1994
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ABSTRACT
This article discusses the environmental concerns regarding soil contamination by heavy metals and
the possibility of growing a high biomass-yielding crop (i.e., rapeseed) as a tool of phytoremediation. The
aim of our research was to investigate the growth parameters and the capacity of rapeseed to accumulate
Cd, Cu, and Zn from the contaminated soil and to investigate the effects of the chelants (EDTA, EDDS)
as potential heavy metal mobility-enhancing agents. A pot experiment was performed under greenhouse
conditions where rapeseed was grown on heavy metal-contaminated soil taken from former septic drain
fields. Chelants were applied twice using doses of 3 mmol kg-1 of wet soil weight. Plants from contaminated
soil produced more biomass and heavier seeds. The highest Cd concentrations were detected in rapeseed
stems and leaves: Cu in roots and Zn in seeds and stems with leaves. Rapeseed in some cases exhibited
translocation factor values for single plant parts greater than unity, whereas the bioconcentration factor was
always below unity. Detected concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in the biomass indicate that rapeseed may be
considered an excluder rather than accumulator. Chelant application did not provide the expected enhancing
effect on heavy metal uptake by rapeseed.