Please cite this article in press as: A. Karczewska, et al., Arsenic extractability and uptake by velvetgrass Holcus lanatus and ryegrass Lolium perenne in variously treated soils polluted by tailing spills, J. Hazard. Mater. (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2012.09.008 ARTICLE IN PRESS G Model HAZMAT-14558; No. of Pages 8 Journal of Hazardous Materials xxx (2012) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Journal of Hazardous Materials jou rn al h om epage: www.elsevier.com/loc ate/jhazmat Arsenic extractability and uptake by velvetgrass Holcus lanatus and ryegrass Lolium perenne in variously treated soils polluted by tailing spills Anna Karczewska ∗ , Karolina Lewi ´ nska, Bernard Gałka Institute of Soil Science and Environmental Protection, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland h i g h l i g h t s ◮ Velvetgrass proved to be more resistant than ryegrass to the toxicity of soil arsenic. ◮ Sewage sludge and P addition increased As extractability in soils. ◮ Sewage sludge had beneficial effect on the growth of velvet, but not on ryegrass. ◮ Effects of P on plant growth and As uptake were ambiguous. ◮ Fe addition failed to decrease As solubility or improve plant growth in 3 of 4 soils. a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 22 May 2012 Received in revised form 29 August 2012 Accepted 5 September 2012 Available online xxx Keywords: Phytostabilization Velvetgrass Ryegrass Arsenic Iron Phosphate Sewage sludge a b s t r a c t Phytostabilization should be considered as an appropriate phytoremediation technique to restore the area affected by tailing spills in Zloty Stok, where arsenic ores were mined and processed for several centuries. The study aimed to compare the suitability of velvetgrass (Holcus lanatus L.) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) for development of plant cover in that area. Various treatments commonly applied to support phytostabilization were examined. A pot experiment was carried out to assess the effects of soil amendment with phosphate (P), sewage sludge (SS) and iron salts (Fe) on arsenic extractability and its uptake by grass. Four kinds of soil material, containing 356–5350 mg kg -1 As, were examined. Velvetgrass proved to be more resistant than ryegrass to the toxicity of soil arsenic. Ammonium sulphate extractability of As in soils correlated well with As concentrations in the biomass of both grass species. In three of four tested soils, application of Fe failed to decrease As extractability and to reduce its concentrations in the aboveground parts of grasses. Application of P and SS resulted in increased As solubility in soils, but their effects on plant biomass and As uptake were ambiguous. SS had a strong beneficial influence on the growth of velvetgrass, while such an effect was not observed for ryegrass. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The Golden Mountains, in the eastern Sudetenland, were for- merly one of the main European centers of gold and arsenic mining. Gold was mined there for several centuries beginning from the medieval time, while production of arsenic started in 17th century and lasted until 1962 [1–4]. Ore processing produced large amounts of tailings that were disposed in the valley of the Truj ˛ aca (Poi- sonous) river. Disposal sites were not sufficiently well protected, therefore the spills and seepage, together with air-borne emissions from smelting plants, caused strong soil enrichment in arsenic. Presently, As content in soils within a distance of 1 km from the tail- ing impoundments exceeds considerably 1000 mg kg -1 [1,2], while ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +48 71 3205639; fax: +48 71 3205631. E-mail address: Anna.karczewska@up.wroc.pl (A. Karczewska). the permissible As concentrations in Polish soils used for agricul- ture, forestry or recreation have been established as 20 mg kg -1 [5]. The most strongly polluted part of the valley has poor vegetation and remains almost barren. Less contaminated areas stay either abandoned or are in agricultural usage as arable fields or green lands. In order to ensure human and environmental safety, this area should be reclaimed and regularly controlled. The optimum way of land management should be worked out and introduced in praxis. Many authors indicated assisted natural attenuation as the most favorable method to be applied in similar cases [6,7]. Although numerous studies have also pointed to phytoextraction as an alter- native, environmental friendly method for remediation of polluted soils, that strategy could not be effective in the Tuj˛ aca valley, because of a large scale of pollution, and strong binding of arsenic to the components of soil solid phase [1]. The use of plants for remov- ing metals from extremely contaminated soils would not be an adequate approach and would take an unrealistic amount of time 0304-3894/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2012.09.008