A field experiment on the use of Pistacia lentiscus L. and Scrophularia canina L. subsp. bicolor (Sibth. et Sm.) Greuter for the phytoremediation of abandoned mining areas

A two-year study has been conducted in an abandoned Pb/Zn mining site, with the aim of investigating the feasibility of phytoremediation using two native Mediterranean plants (Pistacia lentiscus and Scrophularia bicolor) and of assessing the performance of amendments able to reduce the toxic effects of heavy metals. The amendments used were compost, chemical fertilizer, and zeolites, used singly or in combination. Depending on the amendments applied, the two species showed different mortality rates in the different plots, but all produced an increase in P. lentiscus survival, while S. bicolor survival improved only when amended with zeolite or zeolite þ fertilizer. Scrophularia bicolor proved to be a more efficient accumulator than P. lentiscus, especially for Pb uptake. Pistacia lentiscus accumulated metals mostly in the roots. The effect of amendments was to generally reduce the bioavailable metal fraction, especially lead, in the plots amended with compost. Pistacia lentiscus proved to be the most suitable species for phytostabilization and environmental restoration, both for its resistance to metals and high phytomass production. The experiments demonstrate that the use of compost not only encourages this kind of revegetation in degraded areas, but is also an economical option that uses a by-product of solid municipal waste treatment.