Metal Uptake by Plants from Soil Contaminated by Thin-Film Solar Panel Material

Abstract

Various metals, including zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), gallium (Ga), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and indium (In), may be released and cause contamination when scrapped end-of-life (EoL) Cu(InGa)Se 2 thin-film solar panel (CIGS TFSP) is buried in the soil. In this study, we grew Brassica parachinensis L. H. Bariley (Veg Brassica) in three different types of soils, namely, a commercial soil, a Mollisol, and an Oxisol, which had been contaminated by CIGS TFSP to various extents. The concentrations of contaminants in these soils were positively correlated with both the amount of CIGS TFSP added and the burial period. Plants grew well in commercial soil and Mollisol, but those in Oxisol showed prominent signs of chlorosis and died after 30 days. The bioaccumulation factor (BF) and concentration of Zn in Veg Brassica grown in commercial soil with 10% of CIGS TFSP added were 3.61 and 296 mg/kg, respectively, while the BF and concentration of In of Veg Brassica grown in Mollisol were 3.80 and 13.72 mg/kg, respectively. The results showed that soils were contaminated by metals released from CIGS TFSP, and different adsorption patterns were observed for Veg Brassica depending on which types of metals associated with the soil properties.

Assessing soil pollution concerns in proximity to Fence-type solar photovoltaic system installations

“…The installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, particularly those employing certain thin-film technologies has the potential to impact soil pollution with metals [ 39 ]. The following outlines various mechanisms through which soil contamination with heavy metals may arise:…”

Functional aspects of solanaceae trichomes in heavy metal detoxification

“…Moreover, heavy metals accumulate and get mobilized in soil environment with interacting behavior of adsorption–desorption, complexation–dissociation, oxidation–reduction and ion movement. Metal uptake is prominently by the roots through the soil pores of rhizosphere (Qu et al 2019, Su et al 2019). Such studies are well elucidated in Solanum nigrum , Datura innoxa , Lycopersicon esculenta and many other wild and crop plant species of Solanaceae family.…”