Accumulation of copper and other heavy metals by plants growing on Sarcheshmeh copper mining area, Iran

The Sarcheshmeh copper mining area located in Southeast of Iran is a vast mountainous region with mineralized soils and several active copper mining and smelting sites. In this study plants and soils from 4 different sites in this area were collected and analyzed for heavy metals. Analyses of soils in different sites showed the Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni concentrations are up to 1300, 1500, 700 and 35 μg g− 1 for total metals and 11, 8, 1.5 and 0.5 μg g− 1 for their exchangeable fractions, respectively. Plants collected from these sites belonged to 146 species from 118 genera and 40 families. Most of these plants are also found in non-metalliferous regions in the area. The concentrations of these metals in leaf dry matter were variable, ranging from 1 to 4012 μg g− 1 for Cu, 2–1074 μg g− 1 for Zn, 1–76 μg g− 1 for Pb and 0.1–22 μg g− 1 for Ni. The highest concentrations of Cu were found in Polypogon fugax (4012 μg g− 1), Epilobium hirsutum (1581 μg g− 1) and Onosma stenosiphon (657 μg g− 1). P. fugax and E. hirsutum are considered as provisional hyperaccumulators of copper and therefore may be suitable candidate species for phytoremediation to clean-up soils from copper contamination.

► Polypogon fugax and Epolobium hirsotum contain > 1000 μg g− 1 Cu in their leaves. ► Total Cu in the soils of Sarcheshmeh copper mine area is up to 1300 μg g− 1. ► High Cu in the shoots of some collected species shows they are indicators for Cu.