The potential of four woody species for the revegetation of fly ash deposits from the ‘Nikola Tesla-a’ thermoelectric plant (Obrenovac, Serbia)

Abstract

Four woody species, Tamarix tentandra Pallas, Populus alba L. and Robinia pseudoacacia L. (planted) and Amorpha fruticosa L. (naturally colonized) were studied at two fly ash deposit lagoons, weathered 3 (L1) and 11 years (L2). All species were assessed in terms of their invasive ability, photosynthetic efficiency, photosynthetic pigments and damage symptoms, while the characteristics of the habitat were assessed in terms of trace element content and the pH and EC of the ash. A reduced vitality of all populations growing on the ash was observed, except for the naturally colonized A. fruticosa. High vitality on all sites, except at L2, increased chlorophyll content and absence of damage symptoms indicates a tolerance in relation to the uptake of toxic elements from the ash. Therefore, the characteristics of naturally colonized species can be used for modeling future actions of biological restoration of fly ash deposits

Ecological Potential of Plants for Phytoremediation and Ecorestoration of Fly Ash Deposits and Mine Wastes

“…The sap osmotic potential was the most favorable in Crepis setosa, Cirsium arvense and Verbascum phlomoides (from −0.981 MPa to −1.135 MPa) whereas in Populus alba unfavorable sap osmotic value was detected (−1.377 MPa) (Pavlović et al, 2004) ( Table 4). Decrease of chlorophylls and carotenoids content in plants growing on fly ash deposits were noted in Ricinus communis, Typha latifolia, Thelypteris dentate, Festuca rubra, Amorpha fruticosa, Tamarix tetandra, Populus alba and Robinia pseudoaccacia (Kostić et al, 2012;Kumari et al, 2013;Pandey, 2013;Gajić et al, 2016) in relation to control (Table 4). Furthermore, in Cicer arietinum which grew in fly ash treated soils, the content of chlorophylls decreased at 50 and 100% fly ash whereas carotenoids amount increased (Pandey et al, 2010) (Table 4).…”

“…Successful ecorestoration is achieved by establishment of the self-sustaining vegetation cover through human intervention by seeding the mixture of grasses and legumes, and planting shrubs and trees (Pavlović et al, 2004;Mitrović et al, 2008;Kostić et al, 2012;Maiti, 2013;Gajić et al, 2016). In a temperate climate, grass and legume species that are the best for the revegetation of degraded sites belong to the genus of Festuca, Lolium, Agropyron, Poa, Medicago, and Vicia whereas the trees that provide good phytostabilization of substrates are Poplar, Robinia, Salix, Alnus, Betula, and Acer (Prasad, 2006).…”

“…The photosynthetic efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) of plants growing on fly ash deposits were below the optimal range for plants (0.750-0.850, Björkman and Demmig, 1987) which indicates a low number of functionally active PSII reaction centers, photoinhibition of PSII and lower vitality of plants in stress conditions. Low values of Fv/Fm were measured in herbaceous plants grown on fly ash deposits, such as Cirsium arvense, Epilobium collinum, Crepis bienis, Eupatorium cannabinum, Verbascum phlomoides, Calamagrostis epigejos, Oenothera biennis, Festuca rubra (0.429-0.691) (Pavlović et al, 2004;Mitrović et al, 2008;Gajić et al, 2013Gajić et al, , 2016, as well as in shrubs, such as Tamarix tetandra, Amorpha fruticosa, Spiraea van-houttei (0.588-0.727), and trees Populus alba, Robinia pseudoaccacia (0.541-0.626) (Pavlović et al, 2004;Kostić et al, 2012) (Table 4). However, Festuca rubra growing on fly ash lagoons that are 11 years old showed increased photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) indicating that this sown species over time activates adaptive mechanisms that increase the tolerance of the photosynthetic apparatus to stress.…”

Flooding modifies the genotoxic effects of pollution on a worm, a mussel and two fish species from the Sava River

“…In May and June, with the peak of the flood wave, the highest concentrations of Mn, Pb, Cd, Co, As and B were recorded. The study of Kostić et al (2012) indicated that majority of those elements are common for fly ash disposal field of power plant "Nikola Tesla". This leads to an assumption that flooding of the fly ash disposal field and its intensive rinsing by rainfall could be the reason for increased concentrations of metals and metalloids and observed correlations with water level.…”

Complex effect of Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle growing on asbestos deposits: Allelopathy and biogeochemistry

“…9 Woody plants with large cover and high biomass may have an important role in the process of revegetation of waste deposits. 10 Furthermore, organic matter originating from plants could be of great importance in the process of soil humification where phenolic compounds are very significant. 11,12 Allelopathy presents interactions between plants through the action of allelochemicals.…”