Remediation of contamined soil with mercury using the guarumo (Cecropia peltata) trees

Soil pollution by mercury resulting from gold mining, can be remedied by using plants that accumulate this metal in their tissues, reducing their impact on ecosystems and human health. In this study, the influence of the degree of contamination, the application of citric acid and growth time of Cecropia peltata, on the rate of removal of mercury in soil was determined. After 4 months of growth, removal rates were between 15.7 and 33.7%, due to the capacity of Cecropia peltata to accumulate large quantities of metal without substantial toxic effects and to the high content of bioavailable mercury present in contaminated soils, which also caused that the citric acid had no significant influence on the Hg recovery which led to the conclusion that the guarumo is a species with phytoremediation capacity.