Phytoextraction of Pb and Cd from a contaminated agricultural soil using different EDTA application regimes: Laboratory versus field scale measures of efficiency

Enhanced phytoextraction of heavy metals using chelating agents and agricultural crops is widely discussed as a remediation technique for agricultural soils contaminated with low mobile heavy metals. In this study, phytoextraction efficiency of Zea mays after single and split applications of EDTA was tested on the laboratory and the field scale. EDTA effectively increased the mobility of target heavy metals (Pb and Cd) in the soil solution. Split applications provided generally lower water-soluble levels of Pb and Cd both in the pot and the field experiment. Therefore, the risk of groundwater contamination may be reduced after split applications. Higher Pb and Cd mobilisation after single applications increased plant stress, phytotoxicity and reduced plant dry above-ground biomass production compared to corresponding split doses. Single doses enhanced plant uptake of Pb and Cd and the phytoremediation efficiency compared to corresponding split doses. Results of plant dry above-ground biomass and heavy metal uptake obtained from the pot experiment could be to some extent verified in the field experiment. Plant uptake of Pb and Cd was lower and biomass production dropped after EDTA additions in the field experiment. Remediation factors in the field experiment were in general significantly lower than in the pot experiment mainly due to the much higher mass of soil per plant under field conditions. This highlights the limitations when going from the lab to the field scale. The low phytoremediation efficiency in the field and the mobilisation of high amounts of Pb and Cd down the soil profile may make the use of EDTA and Z. mays not suitable for the remediation of severely heavy metal contaminated soils in a reasonable time frame and may result in substantial groundwater pollution under used crop management.