Phytoremediation of Abandoned Mining Areas Using Native Plant Species: A Sardinian Case Study

The chapter summarizes the results of phytoremediation experiments performed on a mining site located in the Sulcis-Iglesiente biogeographic sector (South-Western Sardinia) that was the most important mining area of Italy. The findings obtained demonstrated the feasibility of soil reclamation based on the use of two native plant species, Scrophularia canina subsp. bicolor Greuter and Pistacia lentiscus. In particular, S. bicolor is an efficient accumulator and seems the more suitable for application to phytoremediation treatments, while P. lentiscus appears to be the more appropriate for phytostabilization and revegetation, both for its resistance to metals and high phytomass production. Assisted phytoremediation, based on the use of soil amendments as chelating agents for phytoextraction or compost, natural zeolite and fertilizers in different mixtures for phytostabilization, was shown to significantly improve the treatment performances.