Modelling of Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn and Pb transport from soil to seedlings of coniferous and leafy trees

Abstract

Transport of trace metals (TMs) from the soil to a plant involves chemical, physical and biological processes (such as diffusion, adsorption, absorption, growth of a plant, transpiration rate, etc.) in the soil, the soil rhizosphere and in the plant itself. Because of the complexity of these processes and external factors (e.g. weather conditions, biotic factors, type of substrate, etc.) the processes are difficult to describe by mathematical formulas. Modelling of TMs transport to plants is even more complex than that of organic contaminants because, contrary to organic contaminants, TMs are essential for plant growth, metabolism, enzyme activity, etc. The octanol-water partitioning coefficient for TMs in plants gives only limited information about their accumulation, therefore, other coefficients, such as bioconcentration and translocation coefficients, must be incorporated. The aim of this work was to simulate transport of TMs (Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni and Mn) from the soil to tree seedlings by adapting a generalized model of contaminant uptake by plants. The model applied for transport of TMs from the soil to trees was created by Hung and Muckay. When employing this model for modelling transport of TMs from the soil, amended with industrial sewage sludge, to seedlings of coniferous and leafy trees, some adjustments were made by evaluating the equilibrium partitioning coefficient of TMs between octanol and water (Kow); by introducing the equilibrium partitioning coefficient of TMs in the soil and water (Kd), which depends on the soil pH and the amount of organic matter; by introducing the coefficient (KT) of TMs solubility in water as well as by introducing corrective coefficients. When using the Hung and Muckay's model of the transport of trace metals from the soil to tree seedlings, the results of modelling differed approximately by 6% in leaves, 5% in the stem and 8% in roots as compared with those of measurements.