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ARTICLE

Trace Elements in the Soil-Plant Systems of Copper Mine Areas-A Case Study From Murgul Copper Mine From the Black Sea Region of Turkey

by Munir Ozturk, Volkan Altay, Mahir Kucuk, Ibrahim Ertuğrul Yalçın

1 Botany Department & Centre for Environmental Studies, Ege University, Izmir, 35040, Turkey.
2 Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, 31060, Turkey.
3 Sustainable Forest Management Advisor-UNDP, Ankara, 06560, Turkey.
4 Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, 34349, Turkey.

* Corresponding Author: Munir Ozturk. Email: .

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2019, 88(3), 223-238. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2019.07446

Abstract

This study presents a case study on the heavy metal analysis of soil and plant samples around the Murgul copper mine, one of the first and most important mining areas in Turkey. An attempt has been made to investigate the status of trace elements like Al³⁺, Fe²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and Cd²⁺ in soils and plants. The sampling localities were taken from 500 m, 600 m, and 1000 m altitudes around the factory and at 1400 m in the forest zone. The aboveground parts and foliage ash of Silene compacta, Tussilago farfara, Smilax excelsa, Rhododendron ponticum, R. luteum, and herbal mix were analysed. The results of analysis have revealed the minimum and maximum concentrations measured in the plants as follows; aluminium (20-8985 mg kg-1), cadmium (0.0-0.5 mg kg^-1), cobalt (0.0-5.5 mg kg^-1), copper (0.0-347.5 mg kg^-1), iron (25-9320 mg kg^-1), lead (2-51 mg kg^-1), nickel (1.5-16.5 mg kg^-1), and zinc (13.0-221.0 mg kg^-1). In the soil the concentrations of aluminium, cadmium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, nickel, and zinc vary between 33-457, 0.0-0.0, 0.0-0.4, 0.1-88.7, 14-50, 0.3-4.1, 0.2-0.8, and 4.0-20.3 mg kg^-1 respectively. These findings enlighten the fact that copper is generally toxic in the soils as well as plants. Silene compacta has been recorded as a high copper accumulator, behaving as a healthy plant on the polluted sites of the area alongside the Murgul creek (especially at 600 m). This study stresses the fact that it is imperative to assess and monitor the levels of heavy metals in the environment due to anthropogenic activities, including mining, for evaluation of human exposure and for sustainable environment.

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