A survey of potential nickel hyperaccumulators in Lagonoy Ophiolite Complex

Abstract

Plants that accumulate high concentrations of heavy metals in their leaves and stems can be used in phytoremediation and phytomining. The study aimed to determine the plant species in Lagonoy Ophiolite Complex that are hyperaccumulators of nickel. Plants collected from a mining site in Lagonoy, Camarines Sur were subjected to Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) to measure nickel content in the plant body. The plants were then categorized into non-accumulator, hemiaccumulator, hyperaccumulator, and hypernickelophore based on nickel content. Six species from five different plant families were classified as potential hypernickelophores with greater than 10,000 ppm nickel content. Eleven species belonging to ten different plant families were classified as potential hyperaccumulators having greater than 1,000 ppm nickel content. All the species classified as potential hyperaccumulators and hypernickelophores in this study are the first accounts for the Philippines. This study contributes to the knowledge of plant metal accumulation in restoration of mining sites especially in heavy metal rich areas in the country