Plant identification associated with mining district tailings of Guanajuato

Abstract

The State of Guanajuato has an important mining history but also serious environmental problems, together with the waste generated by exploitation. Such residues contain high concentrations of potentially toxic elements such as arsenic, cadmium, selenium, lead, mercury, among others. However, these metals can be removed by phytoremediation techniques, by using accumulating plants that are able to absorb, and as a result, area is cleaned. The purpose of this work was to collect and identify plant species impacted by tailings in mining areas. So far, lists of species found in such places are rare and may have a potential use for phytoremediation, depending on their tolerance to heavy metals and their ability to accumulate in their tissues. In the study site 22 different plant species were found, some with possibility for use in phytoremediation technologies because they generate large amount of biomass, as in case of Acacia farnesiana, Acacia parviflora, Dodonaea viscosa, Senecio salignus, Asclepias curassavica and Phoradendron sp.