The Bioaccumulation Performance of Reeds and Cattails in a Constructed Treatment Wetland for Removal of Heavy Metals in Landfill Leachate Treatment (Etueffont, France)

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the capacities of cattail (Typha latifolia L.) and reed (Phragmites australis L.) for heavy metal storage in the phytomass. Samples were studied in the fourth of the four interconnected natural lagooning basins of a constructed treatment wetland, developed as an integrated pilot system for the treatment of leachates in a domestic landfill site at Etueffont (Territoire de Belfort, France). The efficiency of the lagooning system was evaluated through physical and chemical parameter measurements over a period of three seasons. Anion/cation and heavy metal concentrations were sampled and analyzed in water flowing into and out of the lagooning basin. Simultaneously, reed and cattail biomass samples (roots/rhizomes, shoots) were collected at both inflow and outflow, and the biomass characteristics were determined. The average above-ground biomass of T. latifolia and P. australis varied, respectively, from 0.41 to 1.81 kg DW m−2 in the fall, 0.31 to 1.34 kg DW m−2 in winter, and 0.38 to 1.68 kg DW m−2 in spring, with significant seasonal variations. The greatest mean concentrations of heavy metals were found in the below-ground plant parts of the two species during the spring season. The average standing stock of heavy metals was higher in the below-ground than in the above-ground phytomass, whatever the season. With the exception of nickel, heavy metal concentrations in the inflow were correlated to the plant content of both species.