Arsenic Phytoremediation in Contaminated and Flooded Soil: Accumulation and Translocation in Two Macrophytes

Few aquatic plants can accumulate As from flooded soils. Given the high toxicity and bioavailability of As in these environments, a study was carried out in Brazil to test the As phytoextraction potential of Typha domingensis and Eleocharis acutangula, comprising three cutting/regrowth cycles of 120 days each. The species were grown in uncontaminated (control), moderately contaminated (75 mg kg(-1) As), and highly contaminated (250 mg kg(-1) As) soil. The amount of As extracted was influenced by the level of As contamination and the plant species. E. acutangula was the most suitable species for removing As from moderately contaminated soil (up to 75 mg kg(-1)), while T. domingensis could remove As from soil with As levels up to 250 mg kg(-1). This small-scale study provides a theoretical basis for the selection of macrophytes with potential for As extraction from soils, and these species should be tested in the future under field conditions.