PHYTOEXTRACTION OF SELECTED HEAVY METAL IONS FROM EXTRATERRESTRIAL SURFACES Wojciech Szwerc1, Maciej Strzemski1,2*, Sławomir Dresler3, Maciej Bilek4, Ryszard Kocjan1, Adam Majewski1, Jolanta Tylus1 1 Chair
of Chemistry, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, Poland 2 Polish Association of Amateur Astronomers, Division in Puławy, Poland 3 Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology and Biochemistry, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University of Lublin, Poland 4 Laboratory for Environmental Health Analysis and Materials of Agricultural Origin, Faculty of Biology and Agriculture, University of Rzeszów, Poland *Corresponding autor. E-mail:
[email protected] Fig. 1.
Introduction Acquisition of mineral resources from the celestial bodies has long been a subject of discussion between specialists in the field of astronomy and space science. As early as 2012 years of Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources announced the development of an asteroid mining technologies. This theme is also a research subject of NASA. In this article, authors present a visionary method of obtaining valuable minerals resources from celestial bodies surface, and phytoremediation of this surface using phytoextraction method. Phytomining is an established method of obtaining certain elements in earthly conditions. The first works in this field were focused on the production of nickel ore1. It should be noted that the content of nickel in some meteorites reaches up to 60% and the exploitation of this element from the meteorite will not require phytomining. However, there are heavenly bodies containing nickel at the level that allows use of a method of phytoextraction and thus cultivation of other crops. Phytoextraction will also allow for the extraction of elements of VIIIB group in the periodic table, whose content in ordinary chondrites ranges 8-21 ppm, this level corresponds to the currently content exploited deposits in the earth (3,8-22,0 ppm)2. The authors conducted a trial cultivation of plants Echium vulgare L., on the subsoil which were fragmented meteorites.
Fig. 2.
Experimental The substrate constituted meteorite's dust which was by-product of cutting many different meteorites. Meteorite’s dust consisted of 70% chondrites, 30% achondrites and trace amount of Martian’s meteorite. Qualitative composition was tested in the extract, which was obtained by shaking 5g of meteorite's dust in 50ml of 1M hydrochloric acid. In the investigated extracts elements such as: Rb, Ba, Y, Ti, V, Cr, Mo, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Au, Pb, Sb, Eu, Dy, Er, Yb, Sr, Mn vere detected. Three populations of Echium vulgare L. were investigated in this study: one originated from a relatively young (30-year-old) slag waste deposit left over former Pb and Zn smelter (M1); the second one originated from a waste heap biult by-product of gravitational enrichment of Zn-Pb ore nearly 90 years ago (M2); and the control population originated from noncontaminated soil (MN). Seeds of the three populations germinated on moisture filter paper and the seedlings were transplanted to plastic pots filled with Hoagland nutrient solution. After 1 weeks, the plants were transfered to plastic pots filled with meteorite. The plants were cultivated under controlled conditions (photoperiod and temperature) and analysed after 7 days of meteorite treatment. The shoots of plants were collected, dried and mineralized in a mixture of nitric acid and perchloric acid in the ratio 8:2. The resulting solution was quantitatively transferred to 25 ml volumetric flasks. Qualitative and quantitative composition of chemical elements have been determined using ContrAA 700 High Redolution Continuum Source Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (Analytik Jena, Germany). Standard solutions of selected elements were prepared by dilution with deionized water with a resistance of 18.2 MΩ stock solution of elements with a concentration of 1000 ppm (Merck, Germany). Calibration curves were made and obtained correlation coefficient R was in range 0.921 - 0.998 and was quantitated selected chemical elements. The results are shown in the tables and charts.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
← MN Fig. 5.
← N1 ← N2
Results Fig. 6.
The three populations of Echium vulgare differed in many respects. Metallicolous populations (M1, M2) had a higher survival and higher tolerance index in meteorite treatments compare to MN (data not shown). The Pb (lead), Au (gold), V (vanadium), Cu (copper), Rb (rubidium), Ni (nickel), Cd (cadmium) in the three populations of Echium vulgare cultivated in contaminated meteorite soil were investigated (Figs. 1-7). Generally, the average trace elements content in the shoots of Echium vulgare indicated that both metallicolous populations (M1, M2) accumulate more Pb, Cd, Au, V, Cu compare to non-metalicollous populations. We concluded that populations of Echium vulgare from meal-contaminated soils especially M2 population are interesting material for phytoextraction of trace elements. Fig. 7. [1] Anderson C.W.N., Brooks R.R., Chiarucci A., LaCoste C.J., Leblanc M., Robinson B.H., Simcock R., Stewart R.B. 1999. Phytomining for nickel, thallium and gold. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 67, 407. [2] Łuszczek K. 2011. Poszukiwania nowych zasobów surowców w układzie słonecznym. Prace Naukowe Instytutu Górnictwa Politechniki Wrocławskiej 133, 85.
