Analytical Sciences


Abstract − Analytical Sciences, 21(12), 1553 (2005).

Determination of Cu, Pb, Fe, and Zn in Plant Component Polymers of a Hyperaccumulating Plant
Fumihisa KOBAYASHI, Teruya MAKI, Yoshitoshi NAKAMURA, and Kazumasa UEDA
Division of Material Engineering, Graduate School of Natural Science & Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
Phytoremediation is an innovative technology that utilizes the natural properties of plants to remediate hazardous waste sites. For more cost-effective phytoremediation, it is important to utilize a hyperaccumulating plant after phytoremediation, i.e. the recovery of valuable metals and the production of useful materials. In this work, the determination of metals in plant component polymers in a fern, Athyrium yokoscense, as a hyper-accumulating plant was established using steam explosion, Wayman's extraction method, and ICP emission spectrometry. After A. yokoscense plants were treated by steam explosion, the steam-exploded A. yokoscense were separated into four plant component polymers, i.e. water-soluble material fraction, holocellulose fraction, methanol-soluble lignin fraction, and residual lignin fraction. The concentrations of Cu, Pb, Fe, and Zn in these plant component polymers and the dry weights of plant component polymers were measured. These analytical process determining metals in the plants will contribute to not only the evaluation and the efforts of phytoremediation using a hyperaccumulating plant, but also to the development of more effective phytoremediation.