Bioaccumulation of heavy metals by Phragmites australis cultivated in synthesized substrates

Accumulation of heavy metals from various oxides with adsorbed cadmium by wetland plant Phragmites australis was studied to evaluate the fate of heavy metals in the sediment of constructed wetlands. Hoagland solution was used as nutrition supply, and single metal oxide with adsorbed cadmium was applied as contaminant to study the accumulation characteristics of cadmium and the substrate metals by P. australis. After 45-d treatment, the bioaccumulation degree in root followed the order: Al(OH)₃ > Al₂O₃ > Fe₃O₄ > MnO₂ > FeOOH. Heavy metals absorbed by P. australis were largely immobilized by the roots with little translocation to aboveground parts.