Rehabilitation of Iron Ore Mine Soil Contaminated with Heavy Metals Using Rosemary Phytoremediation-Assisted Mycorrhizal Arbuscular Fungi Bioaugmentation and Fibrous Clay Mineral Immobilization

Poverty reduction, economic growth or in general development of developing countries is mostly guaranteed by mining and industrial activities. Environmental protection and contamination reduction are the main aspects of sustainable development and land amelioration. With the aim of lessening heavy metals in mine-tailing areas of Golgohar iron ore mine (Kerman province, Iran), phytoremediation with Rosmarinus officinalis assisting AFM (Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices) and fibrous clay minerals (incubated with 8 and 16% clay) were performed in green house on contaminated soils. Amount of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu were in toxic levels in soil which has decreased after cultivation to less than critical threshold. Accumulation of elements in roots and shoots had a sequence Cu > Zn > Mn > Cd > Pb > Fe. Soils incubated with fibrous clay minerals to remediate soils. Soils adsorbed heavy metals as sequence Pb > Cd > Zn approximate to Fe > Cu > Mn. In general, rosemary with moderate salinity and aridity tolerance could adsorb toxic elements through phytostabilization and phytoextraction, mostly phytoextraction. Bioaugmentation-assisted phytoremediation and immobilization of elements by fibrous minerals enhanced remediation of soils by promoting plant growth and retention of elements.