Title: Phytoremediation of cadmium by the facultative halophyte plant Bolboschoenus maritimus (L.) Palla, at different salinities published Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

IPLeiria authores: Márcia S. S. Santos, Carmen A. Pedro, Sílvia C. Gonçalves & Susana M. F. Ferreira

Main Results:

This study aimed to analyse the capacity of the plant Bolboschoenus maritimus to phytoremediate water, experimentally contaminated with cadmium, and to study the influence of water salinity in its effectiveness as a trace metal accumulator plant. Present in the saltmarshes of the Óbidos Lagoon and common in wetlands of Europe and North America, the results showed that this plant accumulates cadmium especially in the underground organs. Also, the results showed that increasing salinity interferes negatively with the metal accumulation capacity and with the normal physiology of the plants, affecting their survival. The optimization of phytoremediation processes with these plants can aid in bioremediation of freshwater and brackish water ecosystems with low salt content, contaminated by cadmium.