Heavy Metals (Pb and Ni) in Soil and Plant Halimocnemis pilifera in Halgheh Darreh Waste Disposal Site in Karaj

This study was conducted in Halgheh Darreh waste disposal site in Karaj in order to determine the concentration of Ni and Pb in Halimocnemis pilifera and in region’s soil. Three 50*50 m plots in the direction of the prevailing wind were selected. The First plot was close to the leachate ponds and the next two plots were located at 500 and 1000 m from the first plot, respectively. Ten random samples from root and shoot of the plant and also from the soil were collected. The concentrations of the metals were determined using a flame atomic absorption spectormetery (AA 240 (FS) Varian Company, USA) after dry acid digestion. Two-way and one-way ANOVA were used to assess the differences of metal concentrations in roots and shoots of the plants, and in the soil of the plots, respectively. Duncan Test was applied to compare the average concentrations of metals in different plots. The results revealed that the soil of the different plots do not have a significant difference in Ni and Pb concentrations. No significant difference was observed between the metal concentrations in roots and shoots of the plants. The plants in the second and third plots showed to have the highest concentration of Pb (3.27 mg kg-1) and Ni (4.41 mg kg-1), respectively. Bioconcentration and transmission factors for Ni and Pb (TF=1.21; 0.75 and BCF=1.11; 0.29, respectively) suggested that H.pilifera is an appropriate plant to remove Pb and Ni from soil.