Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Remediation of Copper- and Zinc-Contaminated Farmland

Copper and zinc are metals commonly used in industry. However, improperly disposed copper and zinc pollute soil seriously. In farmland where the concentrations of copper and zinc exceeded regulatory standards and farming has been banned for many years, we measured the copper and zinc concentrations...

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Main Authors: Chang-Chao Chen, Pei-Cheng Cheng, Chin-Yuan Huang, Min-Siou Lin, Shu-Fen Cheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Engineering Proceedings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/91/1/13
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author Chang-Chao Chen
Pei-Cheng Cheng
Chin-Yuan Huang
Min-Siou Lin
Shu-Fen Cheng
author_facet Chang-Chao Chen
Pei-Cheng Cheng
Chin-Yuan Huang
Min-Siou Lin
Shu-Fen Cheng
author_sort Chang-Chao Chen
collection DOAJ
description Copper and zinc are metals commonly used in industry. However, improperly disposed copper and zinc pollute soil seriously. In farmland where the concentrations of copper and zinc exceeded regulatory standards and farming has been banned for many years, we measured the copper and zinc concentrations in soil. The copper concentration ranged from 30.2 to 1082.3 mg/kg, while the zinc concentration was between 200.2 and 3335.3 mg/kg. To explore the correlation between the concentration of copper and zinc in soil and plants and plant growth, Pennisetum was chosen as the test crop. The economic and carbon reduction benefits of planting Pennisetum in copper- and zinc-polluted farmland were also investigated. The results indicated that the concentration levels of copper and zinc were not significantly impacted, and neither was the growth of Pennisetum. Farming Pennisetum produces a total of about 1100 tons of biomass per hectare per year. The income per hectare was about USD 48,000 per year. Pennisetum captures 578.8 tons of carbon every year, equivalent to 2124.2 ton-CO<sub>2</sub>e. When used as fuel, it provides 23,649 GJ of bioenergy. Therefore, Pennisetum is an appropriate plant for the green and sustainable remediation of polluted soil.
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spelling doaj-art-5620dda3e95d4c858591df2feb09dd4f2025-08-20T02:21:06ZengMDPI AGEngineering Proceedings2673-45912025-04-019111310.3390/engproc2025091013Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Remediation of Copper- and Zinc-Contaminated FarmlandChang-Chao Chen0Pei-Cheng Cheng1Chin-Yuan Huang2Min-Siou Lin3Shu-Fen Cheng4Institute of Biochemical Technology, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 41349, TaiwanInstitute of Environmental Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, TaiwanDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 41349, TaiwanInstitute of Biochemical Technology, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 41349, TaiwanDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 41349, TaiwanCopper and zinc are metals commonly used in industry. However, improperly disposed copper and zinc pollute soil seriously. In farmland where the concentrations of copper and zinc exceeded regulatory standards and farming has been banned for many years, we measured the copper and zinc concentrations in soil. The copper concentration ranged from 30.2 to 1082.3 mg/kg, while the zinc concentration was between 200.2 and 3335.3 mg/kg. To explore the correlation between the concentration of copper and zinc in soil and plants and plant growth, Pennisetum was chosen as the test crop. The economic and carbon reduction benefits of planting Pennisetum in copper- and zinc-polluted farmland were also investigated. The results indicated that the concentration levels of copper and zinc were not significantly impacted, and neither was the growth of Pennisetum. Farming Pennisetum produces a total of about 1100 tons of biomass per hectare per year. The income per hectare was about USD 48,000 per year. Pennisetum captures 578.8 tons of carbon every year, equivalent to 2124.2 ton-CO<sub>2</sub>e. When used as fuel, it provides 23,649 GJ of bioenergy. Therefore, Pennisetum is an appropriate plant for the green and sustainable remediation of polluted soil.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/91/1/13green sustainablephytoremediationcarbon capturebioenergy
spellingShingle Chang-Chao Chen
Pei-Cheng Cheng
Chin-Yuan Huang
Min-Siou Lin
Shu-Fen Cheng
Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Remediation of Copper- and Zinc-Contaminated Farmland
Engineering Proceedings
green sustainable
phytoremediation
carbon capture
bioenergy
title Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Remediation of Copper- and Zinc-Contaminated Farmland
title_full Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Remediation of Copper- and Zinc-Contaminated Farmland
title_fullStr Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Remediation of Copper- and Zinc-Contaminated Farmland
title_full_unstemmed Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Remediation of Copper- and Zinc-Contaminated Farmland
title_short Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Remediation of Copper- and Zinc-Contaminated Farmland
title_sort eco friendly and sustainable remediation of copper and zinc contaminated farmland
topic green sustainable
phytoremediation
carbon capture
bioenergy
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4591/91/1/13
work_keys_str_mv AT changchaochen ecofriendlyandsustainableremediationofcopperandzinccontaminatedfarmland
AT peichengcheng ecofriendlyandsustainableremediationofcopperandzinccontaminatedfarmland
AT chinyuanhuang ecofriendlyandsustainableremediationofcopperandzinccontaminatedfarmland
AT minsioulin ecofriendlyandsustainableremediationofcopperandzinccontaminatedfarmland
AT shufencheng ecofriendlyandsustainableremediationofcopperandzinccontaminatedfarmland