Growth of selected plant species in biosolids-amended mine tailings

Abstract

Abstract Biosolids stockpiles from sewage treatment plants are a valuable source of organic matter which could be utilized to improve the nutritional status and physical properties of Au mine tailings and support the growth of vegetation planted in the tailings. However, biosolids often contain elevated concentrations of heavy metals including Hg while Au mine tailings would usually contain residual Au. Therefore, it would be beneficial to select plants capable of both tolerating and phytoextracting Hg and/or Au. This paper reports on a glasshouse-based screening study which examined the growth of plant species known for their ability to phytoextract Hg and/or Au which can grow on substrates..