Characteristics of Copper and Lead Uptake and Accumulation by Two Species of Elsholtzia

摘要

Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient for healthy organisms. A copper level of 3 to 20 mg kg~(-1) is needed for the normal growth of plants, and a level of 30 mu g kg~(-1) is needed for adult uptake in daily diet based on his or her weight. However, lead (Pb) is a toxic metal with neuro-virulent properties, and animals and humans are very sensitive to it. In the People's Republic of China, millions of hectares of land have been contaminated with metals such as Cu and Pb, including mixed, transboundary, and regional properties, mainly because of the use of sludge or urban compost, pesticides, fertilizers, and the residues from metalliferous mining and metal smelting industries. Most physical and chemical resolutions of remediating the polluted soil are expensive and are ultimately unable to resolve this problem. However, phytoremediation, a plant-based technology, has become an attractive approach with advantages of location in situ, lower cost, minimal environmental disturbance, elimination ofsecondary pollution, and public acceptance (Salt et al., 1998). Elsholtzia