Role of Chloride Salts in Chemically Enhanced Phytoextraction of Heavy Metals From a Contaminated Agricultural Soil

The role of chloride salts in chemically enhanced phytoextraction of heavy metals from a contaminated agricultural soil is studied. The aims are to determine the effect of different chloride salt concentrations on the mobility of Cd, Zn, and Pb, to evaluate the phytoextraction efficiency of a hybrid poplar and maize after the application of NH sub(4Cl) and EDTA and to compare the effectiveness of both the salt. The results show that highest remediation factors are obtained for poplar and Cd. The results show that EDTA is more efficient for Pb than NH sub(4)Cl, whereas for Cd and Zn, EDTA is similar to NH sub(4)Cl. It is concluded that chloride salt are unsuitable for a chemically enhanced phytoextraction of heavy metals from soil contaminated by multiple metals originating from the smelting industry.