Bunyamin Akgul

Mercury uptake and phytotoxicity in terrestrial plants grown naturally in the Gumuskoy (Kutahya) mining area, Turkey

ABSTRACT This study investigated mercury (Hg) uptake and transport from the soil to different plant parts by documenting the distribution and accumulation of Hg in the roots and shoots of 12 terrestrial plant species, all of which grow naturally in surface soils of the Gumuskoy Pb-Ag mining area. Plant samples and their associated soils were collected and analyzed for Hg content by ICP-MS. Mean Hg values in the soils, roots, and shoots of all plants were 6.914, 460, and 206 µg kg−1, respectively and lower than 1. The mean enrichment factors for the roots (ECR) and shoots (ECS) of these plants were 0.06 and 0.09, respectively and lower than 1. These results show that the roots of the studied plants prevented Hg from reaching the aerial parts of the plants. The mean translocation factor (TLF) was 1.29 and higher than 1. The mean TLF values indicated that all 12 plant species had the ability to transfer Hg from the roots to the shoots but that transfer was more efficient in plants with higher ECR and ECS. Therefore, these plants could be useful for the biomonitoring of environmental pollution and for rehabilitating areas contaminated by Hg.

Bioaccumulation of thallium by the wild plants grown in soils of mining area

ABSTRACT Gümüsköy Ag (As, Pb, and Tl) deposits are one of the largest silver deposits in the country and located about 25 km west of Kütahya, Turkey. This study investigated the accumulation and transport of thallium into 11 wild plants in soil of the mining area. Plant samples and their associated soils were collected from the field and Tl contents were measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The mean concentrations in the soil, roots, and shoots of the studied plants were, respectively, 170, 318, and 315 mg kg−1 for Tl. The plants analyzed and collected from the studied area were separated into different groups based on enrichment coefficients of roots and shoots (ECR and ECS). The results showed that because of their higher ECR and ECS, the following could be good bioaccumulators: CY, IS, SL, and VR for Tl. Therefore, these plants can be useful for remediation or phytoremediation of soils polluted by Tl.

Selenium phytoremediation in wild plants growing naturally in the Gumuskoy Kutahya mining area Turkey

This study investigated selenium uptake and transport from the soil to 12 plant species in the mining area of Gumuskoy (Kutahya), Turkey. Plant samples and their associated soils were collected and analyzed for Se content by ICP-MS. Mean Se values in the soils, roots, and shoots of all plants were 0.9, 0.6, and 0.8 mg kg, respectively. The mean enrichment factors for roots (ECR) and shoots (ECS) of these plants were 0.78 and 0.97. The mean translocation factors (TLF) were 1.33. These values indicate that all 12 plant species had the ability to transfer Se from the roots to the shoot, but that transfer was more efficient in plants with higher ECR and ECS. Therefore, these plants may be useful in phytoremediation in rehabilitating areas contaminated by Se because their ECR, ECS and TLFs are greater than 1.

Precision in Estimating Mineral Proportions from Chemical Analyses

The precision of estimating rock mineralogy by CIPW norm calculation and the least-squares analysis method were examined in this study. Five hundred granitoid rocks having varying compositions of quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, hornblende, and biotite were randomly generated by a computer program. Random errors of up to 5% were added to both rock and mineral compositions to determine the applicability of these two methods. Results indicate that the least-squares analysis method gave better-estimated rock mineralogy than did the CIPW norm calculations. Precision of estimating mineral proportions are 6.5% for quartz, 7.5% for K-feldspar, and 8.1% for plagioclase in the least-squares analysis, but for the CIPW norm calculation they are 14.0% for quartz, 13.1% for K-feldspar, and 17.4% for plagioclase. Correlation coefficients of true mineral mass proportion versus estimated mineral mass proportion range from 0.995 to 0.997 in the least-squares analysis, whereas they range from 0.896 to 0.936 in the norm calculation. These results show that the least-squares analysis method consistently yields better estimates of mineral mass proportions from chemical analyses.