Improvement of soil properties and plant responses by compost generated from biomass of phytoremediation plant

Abstract

Phytoremediation is an emerging green technology that uses plants to remediate environments contaminated with toxic materials. However, plants used for phytoremediation in the leachate channel of a sanitary landfill must be harvested and recycled to prevent re-release of contaminants during decomposition. Therefore, experiments were conducted to test the use of the harvested remediation macrophytes, <i>Phragmites australis</i> and <i>Typha angustifolia</i>, as composting material. Compost produced from these macrophytes significantly improved soil conditions, and, for plants grown in soil with macrophyte compost, their performance improved based on chlorophyll contents, a stress evaluation, and increase in biomass. Additionally, the bioaccumulation of contaminants was not high, with the concentrations of some elements even lower than those in the control. The decomposition rate of macrophytes in the semiarid condition of the landfill was slow, but, once composted, plant biomass was more applicable to soil. This macrophyte compost can then also be used as an economical substitute for the commercial barks currently used as co-composting material. Therefore, the composting of remediation macrophytes from the leachate channel of a sanitary landfill for application to soil will help in the sustainable management of both the leachate channels and the soils on the slopes.