Phytofiltration of uranium by aquatic plants of Central Portugal

The strategies of metal tolerance developed by several plants that enable them to survive in metal contaminated and polluted sites. Some of them may accumulate significant concentration of a specific element. The work presented here is part of the on going study in Central Portugal, and it focus only in a preliminary description. We have observed that Apium nodiflorum, Callitriche stagnalis, Lemna minor and Fontinalis antipyretica growing in uraniferous geochemical province of Central Portugal accumulated significant amounts of uranium, whereas Oenanthe crocata excluded uranium. These results are of phytotechnological significance. Key-Words: Aquatic plants, bioaccumulation, phytoremediation, uranium