Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution Using Forest Species Plantations of Post-Mining Landscapes, Ptolemais, N. Greece

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was the absorption of heavy metals in the leaves of forest tree species, which were planted in two different plots for forestry use and environmental restoration. Four species were studied Pinus brutia, Robinia pseudoacaccia, Quercus trojana and Fraxinus ornus. Forty-eight leaf samples were collected which consisted of six samples from each species at each plot. The heavy metal concentrations in the leaves were measured for the following nine heavy metals: iron (Fe), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co) and lead (Pd). The determinative estimation of metal concentration was carried out in the clear filtrate, using ICP-OES. Statistically significant differences in the concentrations of the heave metals were found among the species, as well as between the two plots. It was only in Robinia peudoacacia’s leaves that the cadmium concentration showed a statistical difference among the other species. The same applied for manganese in Quercus trojana’s leaves and zinc for Pinus brutia. The careful selection and planting of the appropriate forest tree species provides for an overall improvement in the environment in heavy metal polluted sites, such as those resulting from thermal power plants.