Phytoremediation of soils contaminated with lead by Arundo donax L.

Arundo donax L. is a high yielded perennial energy crop. Its cultivation for bioenergy may generate land-use conflicts which might be avoided through the establishment of energy crops on marginal land. In this context, this work aims to study the potentiality of Arundo donax in Pb contaminated soils (450 and 900 mg Pb kg(-1), dry matter) under a low irrigation regime (475 mm). Results showed that biomass productivity of giant reed was negatively affected by the contamination. Increased higher lead content in the biomass was obtained with increased lead contamination of the soil. Highest accumulation of lead was observed in the roots and rhizomes. Although the lead removal percentages by giant reed accumulation represent 3.2% maximum, after two consecutive years, towards the Pb soil bioavailable fraction, the establishment of a vegetative cover represent an approach to attenuate and stabilize contaminated sites with additional revenue to owners.