Javier, Kyla Carmea L.

August 30, 2017

T-STEM 12-I

Reflection Paper

Nowadays, mining has been an essential part of our lives. Metals derived from
mining are used in many aspects, such as electronics and construction. Mining, undoubtedly, has
a high demand. Because of this, numerous mining companies use improper techniques that result
in the contamination of waste metals into the environment. To solve this, researchers Radziemska,
Vaverková, and Baryła employed phytostabilization for stabilizing trace elements in
contaminated soils in their study entitled Phytostabilization—Management Strategy for
Stabilizing Trace Elements in Contaminated Soils.

Phytostabilization is one of the applications of phytoremediation, the use of living plants

to remove, degrade, or contain contaminants in soil, surface water, and ground water. Th e
researchers used aided phytostabilization where organic or inorganic additives were mixed with
the soil that help some plant species absorb the heavy metals. The ideal plant species to be used
in phytostabilization should be resistant to changing soil conditions such as low pH and high
heavy metal concentration and should only accumulate metals in their roots to prevent the
possible consumption of contaminated leaves.

The researchers aimed to reduce the copper content of the soil using aided
phytostabilization with halloysite [Al2Si2O5(OH)4·(H2O)] and the red fescue plant (Festuca
rubra L.). Halloysite is an aluminum silicate originated from volcanoes. The red fescue plant’s
family are often used to cover post-mining areas. It has a high ion-exchange capacity that
enables it to absorb heavy metals. The red fescue plant can accumulate copper, lead, manganese,
and zinc from contaminated soil. To test the effectiveness of halloysite as an additive in the
phytostabilization technique, the researchers employed an experimental design. Four red fescue
plants were planted in four different pots. The heavy metal used was copper because they are
abundant in the locale of the study. The copper was introduced by dissolving copper chloride
salts in distilled water. The four pots contained 0 (control), 150, 300, and 600 milligrams per
kilogram of copper solution. The amount of halloysite added was 3% of the amount of the added
copper chloride. To determine the phytostabilization potential of the plant and the halloysite,
 𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑣𝑒
the translocation factor ( 𝑇𝐹 = ) that quantifies the ability of plants
𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑠

to restrict contaminants in the roots and the bioconcentration factor (𝐵𝐶𝐹 =

𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑠
), were used.
𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑙

Plants and additives with a BCF greater than one and TF less than one have the potential
to be used in phytostabilization. In the experiment, the TF ranged from 0.12 to 0.41 while the
BCF ranged from 1.16 to 3.34, making the halloysite an effective additive for
phytostabilization. Results also showed that copper content was higher in the roots of plants
with the halloysite additive, which is reflected in the translocation factor. The copper content
of the soil also decreased with the addition of the halloysite, which is reflected on the
bioconcentration factor. There was a two-fold decrease of copper in the soil in the pot with 600
mg/kg of copper. The halloysite also made the soil pH higher, making the negative charges of
the soil colloids higher and increasing the sorption of positive metal charges. This reduced the
solubility and mobility of the metals, reducing the chances of spreading to other places such as
the ground water. Plant roots also absorbed the copper easier as they are bonded to the soil
colloids.

The article contained chemistry concepts that I will not be able to understand without
my current background in chemistry. If I read this article a year ago, I am sure that I will not
understand the concepts behind the results. My familiarity of the concepts is one of the reasons
why I chose this article. I may not understand all of the concepts but the lesson on acids and
bases helped me understand the main point of the article. As stated above, when the base, which
is the halloysite, was added to the soil, the soil accepted more positive charged metal. This is
because of the concept that bases are proton acceptors. When bigger amounts of base are added,
the capacity of the soil in accepting metals increases.

I chose this article because one of the prevalent issues in the Philippines is the improper
waste metal disposal of mining companies. It affects people living near mining sites and poses
great health risks such as poisoning from water and food contamination. Mining wastes can also
be introduced in the vegetation when plants absorb the metals. This can lead to the decrease of
food supply and the loss of income for farmers. Improper mining waste disposal is a relevant
issue today and I want to raise awareness to help stop these practices and to alleviate the
problems that people living near mining sites face.

The article made me realize that even technological advancements are good and
convenient, the way they are being produced is negatively affecting the lives of other people.
Electronics is one of the main reasons why metals are mined. Since there is a high demand for
gadgets and appliances, there will also be a high demand for metals needed for their production.
That means more mining sites will be used and more communities will be affected by improper
mining techniques. Because of this, we should learn to lessen our demand for electronic gadgets.
We can do this by taking care of our gadgets so that we will not frequently buy new ones.

My realizations made me think of being an environmental advocate. That was never in

my career plan, but we can all make an impact in simple ways, even in our own fields. We can
also advocate in the means available to us, especially in social media. Social media is a powerful
platform and has the potential to reach a wide audience. We can join in environmental groups
that conduct activities for the environment such as fundraising activities and tree-planting trips.
We can make a difference however small it may seem. We only have one planet to live and we
should take care of it.