Arsenic Uptake and Distribution In Two Tropical Pteridophytes Species.

Gold (Au) mining areas are important from the standpoint of economic development although soils from these areas are drastically altered by anthropologic activities. In addition, the Au-carrying rock material usually contains arsenic (As), a toxic and carcinogenic element. Development of novel remediation techniques are required to meet the demands that a burgeoning society place on soil. Phytoremediation, which involves the use of plants to extract contaminants from soil, offers a simple, non-invasive, and cost-effective method to remediate arsenic-contaminated soil compared to traditional clean-up techniques. The aim of this study was to evaluate under greenhouse conditions the effect of As uptake in two species of tropical fern (Thelypteris salzmannii and Dicranopteris flexuosa) in soil from gold mining areas. The soil was collected from a gold mining area in Paracatu (MG), Brazil. The phytoremediation potential of ferns was assessed by the translocation index (TI) and bioaccumulation factor (BF). As accumulation in fronds and roots increased with an increase in As concentration in the soil. In addition, As accumulation was highest in the roots as compared to fronds in both species. Moreover, both ferns responded differently to As exposure in terms of TI and BF. Thelypteris salzmannii had a greater As TI and BF than Dicranopteris flexuosa. More research is needed to further determine the potential of these tropical fern species for phytoremediation of the As contaminated soils in gold mining areas.