Fixing Soil Heavy Metals: A Play by Plants and Modified Organic Materials -Dhulmy Bandara

Heavy metal contamination in boreal forest soil particularly by Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn) is an environmental issue associated with mining. Heavy metal contaminated soil causes food chain contamination, detrimental effects on humans, contamination of natural waters and impairment of plant growth. Chemical immobilization combined with phytostabilization is a promising remediation strategy of heavy metal contaminated soil. In this technique, various kinds of amendments are added to soil which immobilize heavy metals whereas an established vegetation cover stabilizes heavy metals within the rhizosphere zone. This project will assess the effectiveness of modified biochar as amendments in immobilizing Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn in acidic boreal forest soils with different levels of concentrations. Additionally, it will evaluate the phytostabilization potential of native Canadian grass species to reduce mobility and bioavailability of these heavy metals contributing to development of effective remediation measures in multi-metal contaminated boreal forest ecosystems.