Using native plants to evaluate urban metal pollution and appoint emission sources in the Brazilian Steel Valley region

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 31; no. 21; pp. 30427 - 30439
• Main Authors: Andrade, Guilherme Carvalho, Santana, Brenda Vila Nova, Rinaldi, Mirian Cilene Spasiani, Ferreira, Sukarno Olavo, da Silva, Renê Chagas, da Silva, Luzimar Campos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-05-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollution; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bioaccumulation; Biomonitoring; Brazil; Chromium; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Enrichment; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Heavy metals; Indigenous plants; Industrial emissions; Industrial pollution; Iron and steel industry; Legumes; Metals - analysis; Metropolitan areas; Particle emission; Plants; Research Article; Steel; Steel industry; Steel production; Trace metals; Urban areas; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Brazil; Biomonitoring; Iron; Technogenic tracers; Source apportionment; Potentially toxic elements; Trace metals
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33021-6

In southeastern Brazil, the city of Ipatinga is inserted in the Steel Valley Metropolitan Region, which hosts the largest industrial complex for flat-steel production in Latin America, while also having one of the largest vehicle fleets in the entire country. Since potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are not emitted solely by industries, yet also by vehicular activity, the predominant emission source can be determined by evaluating the ratio between different elements, which are called technogenic tracers. We performed a biomonitoring assay using two tropical legumes,
Paubrasilia echinata
and
Libidibia ferrea
var.
leiostachya
, aiming to assess chemical markers for the origin of emissions in the region, distinguishing between different anthropogenic sources. Plants were exposed for 90 days in four urban sites and in a neighboring park which served as reference. After the experimental period, plants were evaluated for trace-metal accumulation.
L. ferrea
var.
leiostachya
retained lower amounts of metals associated with vehicular and industrial emission. The opposite was found with
P. echinata
, a species which should be recommended for biomonitoring of air pollution as a bioaccumulator. Plants of
P. echinata
were enriched with Fe, Al, Ni, Cr, and Ba, whereas plants of
L. ferrea
var.
leiostachya
were enriched with Fe, Cu, and Co. In both species, Fe was the element with which plants were enriched the most. Plants showed highest iron enrichment at Bom Retiro, the site downwind to the steel industry, which has shown to be the main particle emission source in the region.