Using Trifolium Alexanderium for Phytoremediation of some heavy metals in tailings dam in Anjir-Tange coal washing plant, Mazandaran, Iran

Phytoremediation is a technology that uses plants for the remediation of the contaminated soils, sediments, tailings, and groundwaters. In this work, the ability of TrifoliumAlexanderium for the phytoremediation of the tailings soil in the Anjir-Tange coal washing plant was investigated. For this purpose, Trifolium sp. was cultivated in three soils consisting of the tailings dam, an agricultural soil, and a mixed soil. The concentrations of Fe, Cr, Cd, and P, and the factorsTF (translocation factor), BCF (bio-concentration factor), and BAF (bio-accumulation factor) were measured in the soils and plants after the harvest of Trifolium sp. The results obtained showed that BCFs in the agricultural soil, tailings dam, and mixed soil were 10.4, 12.24, and 7.23, respectively. These results also showed that TrifoliumAlexanderiumwas able to accumulate Cd in the root tissues and stabilize it, and thus it can be regarded as an appropriate species for the stabilization of the Cd ions in the contaminants and soils.The results obtained suggest that this plant can be a good candidate for use in the revegetation and phytostabilization of the Cd-contaminated lands in the region.