Tolerance of heavy metals and the reclamation of industrial waste.
Abstract
The Cu or Zn tolerance of populations of Agrostis tenuis[Agrostis capillaris], A. stolonifera, Festuca rubra, F. ovina and Anthoxanthum odoratum from Cu and Pb/Zn mine spoils was tested in solution culture and the results compared with the growth of the populations on Cu or Zn slag tips, with and without lime +-NPK, sewage sludge and domestic refuse. The mine soil plants were generally more tolerant of Cu or Zn than populations found on the slag tips or on uncontaminated soil. The correlation between index of Zn tolerance and plant growth of all populations on the zinc tip was small but was significant when one aberrant population of A. stolonifera was discarded. The plant Cu tolerance was correlated with growth on untreated Cu slag. There was no significant difference between populations in response to inorganic fertilizer and lime on the slag tips. Populations differed in response to domestic refuse and sewage sludge, but the differences were not correlated with differences in index of tolerance.