GROWTH AND ELEMENT UPTAKE OF WOODY-PLANTS ON FLY-ASH

Pulverized coal ash stored at the John Sevier Power Plant, Rogersville, Tenn., was tested as a substrate for eight woody plant species. Concentrations of As, B, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, K, N, Ni, P, Pb, Se, and Zn were measured in plant foliage in the second and third growing seasons on fly ash and a soil control, and were compared with concurrent analyses of the substrates. B, Ni, and Se appeared more available to plants of all species when grown on fly ash, while uptake of As and Hg varied by species. Cr and Pb showed no increases in foliar concentration in plants grown on fly ash as compared with soil. Mean survival of plants on fly ash was 53%, ranging from 12 to 84% depending on species. Application of 10 cm of subsoil over the fly ash resulted in no improvement in plant performance. Nitrogen-fixing species appeared best adapted for use in fly ash stabilization. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.