First South American plant for purifying soils contaminated with zinc and cadmium
Thursday, June 13, 2013 - 09:01
in Biology & Nature
Scientists from Wageningen (NL) and Lavras (Brazil) have found the first South American plant that can be used for purifying South American soils contaminated with the heavy metals zinc and cadmium. Native plants are strongly preferred over exotic plants for this purpose as they reduce the risk of introducing an invasive species that can turn into a pest. The plant, Gomphrena claussenii, easily grows on contaminated soil near zinc mines and takes up large amounts of heavy metals in its leaves and stems. This makes it quite suitable for the purifying of South American soils.