Remediation of a long-term copper-contaminated soil using a polyacrylate polymer

Abstract. We investigated whether a polyacrylate polymer could be used to remediate a soil which had been contaminated with copper for many years. Perennial ryegrass was grown in a loamy sand containing 230 mg ammonium-acetate-EDTA extractable Cu kg^?1 and amended with 0, 0.1 and 0.2% of polymer. Growth of perennial ryegrass was stimulated in the polymer-amended soil, especially in the soil with 0.1% of polymer. After plant growth for 177 days, the amount of water extractable copper present in the unamended soil was 17 times that of the original soil. In the soil amended with 0.1% of polymer the level of copper after plant growth was only 0.11 times the amount present in the unamended soil. When the soil was incubated with polymer in the absence of plants, the level of water extractable copper was not reduced. The polymer seems to compete with plants for copper, and to prevent the increase of copper in soil solution brought about by root exudates.