Selection of soil health indicators for modelling soil functions to promote smart urban planning.

The contribution of soil health to global health receives a growing interest, especially in urban environment. Therefore, there is a true need to develop methods to evaluate ecological functions provided by urban soils in order to promote smart urban planning. This work aims first at identifying relevant soil indicators based either on in situ description, in situ measurement or lab analysis. Then, 9 soil functions and sub-functions were selected to meet the main expectations regarding soil health in urban contexts. A crucial step of the present research was then to select adequate indicators for each soil function and then to create adapted reference frameworks; they were in the form of 4 classes with scores ranging from 0 to 3. All the reference frameworks were developed to evaluate soil indicators in order to score soil functions, either by using existing scientific or technical standards or references or based on the expertise of the co-authors. Our model was later tested on an original database of 109 different urban soils located in 7 cities of Western Europe and under various land uses. The scores calculated for 8 soil functions of 109 soils followed a Gaussian distribution. The scoring successfully expressed the strong contrasts between the various soils; the lowest scores were calculated for sealed soils and soils located in urban brownfields, whereas the highest were found for soils located in city parks or urban agriculture. Despite requiring a soil expertise, the proposed approach is easy to implement and could help reveal the true potential of urban soils in order to promote smart urban planning and enhance their contribution to global health.

Evaluating a mass balance model for soil trace metals using the historical data from the King's Kitchen Garden (Versailles, France).

The mass balance of reconstituted Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn fluxes from 1683 to 2021 was compared to the current levels of the soil used only for vegetable production in the King's Kitchen Garden in Versailles (France). This comparison was made on the basis of 4 scenarios of organic matter application in the 18th and 19th centuries and by an uncertainty analysis over the entire period. The topsoil contamination falls within that of French kitchen gardens. Modelling of past fluxes predicted the correct trend (an increase) and order of magnitude of the soil metal contents. It produced a relatively accurate evaluation of the Cu and Zn contents. The model underestimated the Pb contents by about 80%, revealing a large and unknown source of soil contamination by this metal. The calculation overestimated the current Cd levels by about 100%, probably due to various biases, for example on atmospheric fallout or the composition of organic amendments. This assessment shows that modelling the mass balance of trace metal fluxes can be used to predict the long-term trend in the levels of these elements in cultivated soils, providing the input data are chosen according to realistic scenarios.

Assessment for combined phytoremediation and biomass production on a moderately contaminated soil.

Once previous industrial activity has ceased, brownfields are found in urban and suburban environments and managed in different ways ranging from being left untouched to total reconversion. These situations apply to large surface areas often impacted by residual diffuse pollution. Though significant and preventing any sensitive use, residual contamination does not necessarily require treatment. Moreover, conventional treatments show their technical and economic limits in these situations and gentle remediation options such as phytomanagement might appear more relevant to the management of those sites. Thus, these sites face up two major issues: managing moderate contamination levels and providing an alternative use of economic interest. This work proposes to assess a management strategy associating the phytoremediation of organic pollution along with the production of biomass for energy generation production. A 16-week controlled growth experiment was conducted on a soil substrate moderately impacted by multiple pollution (trace elements, mainly Zn and Pb, and hydrocarbons), by associating rhizodegradation with Medicago sativa or biomass production with Robinia pseudoacacia or Alnus incana in monocultures. The effect of a microbial inoculum amendment on the performances of these treatments was also evaluated. Results showed total hydrocarbons (TH), and to a lesser extent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), concentrations decreased over time, whatever the plant cover. Good biomass production yields were achieved for both tree species in comparison with the control sample, even though R. pseudoacacia seemed to perform better. Furthermore, the quality of the biomass produced was in conformity with the thresholds set by the legislation concerning its use as a renewable energy source.

Assessing the future trends of soil trace metal contents in French urban gardens.

Soil trace metal concentrations (e.g., cadmium, copper, lead, zinc) in vegetable gardens have often been observed as exceeding the geochemical background levels. These metals are a threat both to soil and plant functioning and to human health through consumption of contaminated vegetables. We used a mass balance-based model to predict the four metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) concentrations in soils after a century's cultivation for 104 urban vegetable gardens, located in three French metropolises, Nancy, Nantes, and Marseille, based on a survey of gardening practices. If current gardening practices are maintained, an increase in soil Cd (35% on average), Cu (183%), and Zn (27%) contents should occur after a century. Soil Pb concentration should not vary consistently. Organic amendments are the major source of Cd, Pb, and Zn, followed by chemical fertilizer while fungicide application is the major source of Cu. Cessation of chemical fertilizer use would only slightly reduce the accumulation of the four metals. The solubility of the four metals would decrease significantly after a century, when pH increases by one unit. A liming practice of acidic soils should therefore be a feasible way to prevent any increase in the metal mobility and bioavailability.

Urban kitchen gardens: Effect of the soil contamination and parameters on the trace element accumulation in vegetables - A review.

Trace element contaminants in kitchen garden soils can contribute to human exposure through the consumption of homegrown vegetables. In urban areas, these soils can be contaminated to various degrees by trace element (TE). They are characterized by a great variability in their physicochemical parameters due to the high anthropization level, the wide variety and combination of disturbance sources, as well as the diversity of cultivation practices and the large range of contamination levels. Pollutants can be taken up by vegetables cultivated in these soils and be concentrated in their edible parts. In this review, the behavior of vegetables cultivated in contaminated kitchen gardens is assessed through six examples of the most widely cultivated vegetables (lettuce, tomato, bean, carrot, radish, potato). The role of soil parameters that could influence the uptake of As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn by these vegetables is also discussed.

Quantification of soil organic carbon stock in urban soils using visible and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (VNIRS) in situ or in laboratory conditions.

Urban soils, like other soils, can be sink or source for atmospheric carbon dioxide, and due to urban expansion, are receiving increasing attention. Studying their highly variable attributes requires high-density sampling, which can hardly be achieved using conventional approaches. The objective of this work was to determine the ability of visible and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (VNIRS) to quantify soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration (gC kg-1) and stock (gC dm-3, or MgC ha-1 for a given depth layer) in parks and sealed soils of two French cities, Marseille and Nantes, using spectra collected on pit walls or in laboratory conditions (air dried, 2 mm sieved samples). Better VNIRS predictions were achieved using laboratory than in situ spectra (R2 ≈ 0.8-0.9 vs. 0.7-0.8 in validation), and for sample SOC concentration than stock (R2val up to 0.83 in situ and 0.95 in the laboratory vs. 0.78 and 0.89, respectively). Stock was conventionally calculated according to four methods that variably account for coarse particles (>2 mm); and it was better predicted when coarse particles were not taken into account. This was logical using laboratory spectra, collected on 2 mm sieved samples; but concerning in situ spectra, this suggested the operator tended to put the spectrometer beside the coarsest particles during spectrum acquisition. This point is worth considering for urban soils, often rich in coarse particles. Stocks were then aggregated at the profile level: SOC stock prediction was more accurate at profile than sample level when using laboratory spectra (R2val = 0.94 vs. 0.89, respectively), probably due to uncertainty compensation; but this was not the case when using in situ spectra, possibly because samples collected for SOC analysis and corresponding VNIRS scans were not at the exact same location. This work demonstrates VNIRS usefulness for quantifying SOC stock time- and cost-effectively, in urban soils especially.

Estimation of soil organic carbon stocks of two cities, New York City and Paris.

In cities, the strong heterogeneity of soils, added to the lack of standardized assessment methods, serves as a barrier to the estimation of their soil organic carbon content (SOC), soil organic carbon stocks (SOCS; kgC m-2) and soil organic carbon citywide totals (SOCCT; kgC). Are urban soils, even the subsoils and sealed soils, contributing to the global stock of C? To address this question, the SOCS and SOCCT of two cities, New York City (NYC) and Paris, were compared. In NYC, soil samples were collected with a pedological standardized method to 1 m depth. The bulk density (Db) was measured; SOC and SOCS were calculated for 0-30 cm and 30-100 cm depths in open (unsealed) soils and sealed soils. In Paris, the samples were collected for 0-30 cm depth in open soils and sealed soils by different sampling methods. If SOC was measured, Db had to be estimated using pedotransfer functions (PTFs) refitted from the literature on NYC data; hence, SOCS was estimated. Globally, SOCS for open soils were not significantly different between both cities (11.3 ±â€¯11.5 kgC m-2 in NYC; 9.9 ±â€¯3.9 kgC m-2 in Paris). Nevertheless, SOCS was lower in sealed soils (2.9 ±â€¯2.6 kgC m-2 in NYC and 3.4 ±â€¯1.2 kgC m-2 in Paris). The SOCCT was similar between both cities for 0-30 cm (3.8 TgC in NYC and 3.5 TgC in Paris) and was also significant for the 30-100 cm layer in NYC (5.8 TgC). A comparison with estimated SOCCT in agricultural and forest soils demonstrated that the city's open soils represent important pools of organic carbon (respectively 110.4% and 44.5% more C in NYC and Paris than in agricultural soils, for 0-30 cm depth). That was mainly observable for the 1 m depth (146.6% more C in NYC than in agricultural soils). The methodology to assess urban SOCS was also discussed.

Urban and industrial land uses have a higher soil biological quality than expected from physicochemical quality.

Despite their importance both in soil functioning and as soil indicators, the response of microarthropods to various land uses is still unclear. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of land use on microarthropod diversity and determine whether a soil's biological quality follows the same physicochemical quality-based gradient from forest, agriculture-grassland, agriculture-arable land, vineyards, urban vegetable gardens to urban, industrial, traffic, mining and military areas. A database compiling the characteristics of 758 communities has been established. We calculated Collembola community indices including: species richness, Pielou's evenness index, collembolan life forms, the abundance of Collembola and of Acari, the Acari/Collembola abundance ratio, and the Collembolan ecomorphological index. Results show that agricultural land use was the most harmful for soil microarthropod biodiversity, whilst urban and industrial land uses give the same level of soil biological quality as forests do. Furthermore, differences between the proportions of Acari and ecomorphological groups were observed between land uses. This study, defining soil microarthropod diversity baselines for current land uses, should therefore help in managing and preserving soil microarthropod biodiversity, especially by supporting the preservation of soil quality.

How physical alteration of technic materials affects mobility and phytoavailabilty of metals in urban soils?

One fundamental characteristic distinguishing urban soils from natural soils is the presence of technic materials or artefacts underlining the influence of human activity. These technic materials have different nature (organic or inorganic) and origins. They contribute to the enrichment of the soil solution by metallic trace elements. The present study aims to determine the effect of physical alteration of the technic coarse fraction on the bioavailability of metallic trace elements in urban Technosols. In general, results show that physical alteration increases the metallic trace elements water extractible concentrations of technic materials. The ability of lettuce to accumulate metallic trace elements, even at low concentrations, underlines the capacity of technic materials to contaminate the anthropised soil solution by bioavailable metals. The highest metal levels, accumulated by the various organs of the lettuce (leaves and roots), were measured in plants grown in presence of metallic particles mixtures. This indicates that the majority of metallic trace elements released by this technic constituent is bioavailable and explains the low plant biomass obtained. The abundant part of metallic trace elements released by the other technic constituents (building materials, bones, wood, plastic and fabric-paper) remains less bioavailable. Under anthropised soil conditions, technic materials have a significant effect on the metallic trace elements behavior. They impact the flow of these metallic elements in Technosols, which can increase their bioavailability and, therefore, the contamination of the food chain.

PAH oxidation in aged and spiked soils investigated by column experiments.

Soils of former steel-making or coking plants have been contaminated for decades by PAHs. These soils could be cleaned up by In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) but the low PAH availability may be a drawback. The objective of the present contribution was to study the efficiency of PAH oxidation in two aged soils compared to a spiked soil in dynamic conditions. Column experiments were performed with two oxidants: hydrogen peroxide used in modified Fenton's reaction and activated persulfate. The oxidant doses were moderate to ensure the feasibility of process upscaling. Besides, the availability of PAHs in these soils was measured by extraction with a cyclodextrin. Our results showed that oxidation was limited: the higher PAH degradation rate was 30% with the aged soils and 55% with the spiked one. PAH availability was a parameter explaining these results but no direct correlation was found between PAH extractability by the cyclodextrin and oxidation efficiency. Other parameters were also involved, such as the organic carbon content, the calcite content and the pH. This study was a first achievement before studying the influence of a number of parameters on the efficiency of PAH oxidation in aged soils.

Long-term assessment of natural attenuation: statistical approach on soils with aged PAH contamination.

Natural attenuation processes valorization for PAH-contaminated soil remediation has gained increasing interest from site owners. A misunderstanding of this method and a small amount of data available does not encourage its development. However, monitored natural attenuation (MNA) offers a valuable, cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative to more classical options such as physico-chemical treatments (e.g., chemical oxidation, thermal desorption). The present work proposes the results obtained during a long-term natural attenuation assessment of historically contaminated industrial soils under real climatic conditions. This study was performed after a 10 year natural attenuation period on 60 off-ground lysimeters filled with contaminated soils from different former industrial sites (coking industry, manufactured gas plants) whose initial concentration of PAH varied between 380 and 2,077 mg kg(-1). The analysed parameters included leached water characterization, soil PAH concentrations, evaluation of vegetation cover quality and quantity. Results showed a good efficiency of the PAH dissipation and limited transfer of contaminants to the environment. It also highlighted the importance of the fine soil fractions in controlling PAH reactivity. PAH dissipation through water leaching was limited and did not present a significant risk for the environment. This PAH water concentration appeared however as a good indicator of overall dissipation rate, thereby illustrating the importance of pollutant availability in predicting its degradation potential.

Distribution of bacteria and nitrogen-cycling microbial communities along constructed Technosol depth-profiles.

Technosol construction through assemblage of treated soil and recycled wastes is an innovative option for the restoration of degraded lands and re-use of industrial wastes. Recent studies have evidenced that Technosols could support soil functions such as primary production but the knowledge about other ecosystemic services, such as nutrient cycling, is limited. We investigated how the total bacterial community and key functional microbial communities involved in nitrogen cycling were influenced by the depth and type of Technosol. We found that despite being artificially constructed, Technosols exhibited a gradual change in microbial activity and abundance along the soil profile. Both nitrification and denitrification rates decreased with increasing depth as previously observed in other soil systems. Potential denitrification and nitrification were correlated with Technosol physico-chemical properties but also with abundances of nirS denitrifiers and bacterial amoA gene, respectively. The correlation between nitrification rates and bacterial ammonia-oxidizers suggests that bacteria are driving nitrification in Technosols. A-RISA fingerprints showed a distinct community structure along different Technosol layers. Technosol properties affected denitrification strongly than nitrification underlining the importance of better understanding the microbial communities in Technosols to maximize their potential for nutrient cycling, an essential ecosystem function.

Using data mining to predict soil quality after application of biosolids in agriculture.

The amount of biosolids recycled in agriculture has steadily increased during the last decades. However, few models are available to predict the accompanying risks, mainly due to the presence of trace element and organic contaminants, and benefits for soil fertility of their application. This paper deals with using data mining to assess the benefits and risks of biosolids application in agriculture. The analyzed data come from a 10-yr field experiment in northeast France focusing on the effects of biosolid application and mineral fertilization on soil fertility and contamination. Biosolids were applied at agriculturally recommended rates. Biosolids had a significant effect on soil fertility, causing in particular a persistent increase in plant-available phosphorus (P) relative to plots receiving mineral fertilizer. However, soil fertility at seeding and crop management method had greater effects than biosolid application on soil fertility at harvest, especially soil nitrogen (N) content. Levels of trace elements and organic contaminants in soils remained below legal threshold values. Levels of extractable metals correlated more strongly than total metal levels with other factors. Levels of organic contaminants, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, were linked to total metal levels in biosolids and treated soil. This study confirmed that biosolid application at rates recommended for agriculture is a safe option for increasing soil fertility. However, the quality of the biosolids selected has to be taken into account. The results also indicate the power of data mining in examining links between parameters in complex data sets.

Toxicity assessment of garden soils in the vicinity of mining areas in Southern Morocco.

The aim of the present work is the assessment of the concentration, toxicity and phytoavailability of heavy metals in garden soils in the vicinity of three mines (A, B and C) in South of Morocco by using concurrently selective chemical extractions, MetPLATE a toxicity bioassay and plant growth experiments. The tailings materials containing very high concentrations of Mn, Cu and Co in mine A, Co, Mn, Cr and Ni in mine B and Cu and Zn in mine C. The high toxicity of tailings from mine C (86.7% inhibition) and moderate toxicity of tailings from mine B (51.0% inhibition) were mainly due to the relative high concentrations of soluble Cu and Zn. Nevertheless, the low metal toxicity observed in most garden soils was confirmed by the low metal concentrations in the soil water extracts. In all garden soils, Lactuca sativa L. and Lolium multiflorum L. contained in their shoots Cd, Co, Cr, Cu and Ni below toxic concentrations while Zn (in all soils) and Mn in two soils from mine A were accumulated at concentrations high enough to be considered phytotoxic. The low biomass produced on garden soils in the vicinity of mines B and C is explained by the relative low toxicity compared to mine A. Transfer factor values for Zn were higher than those found for Mn for both plant species, confirming that this element is present at lower bioavailable fraction in soil than Zn.

Impact of chemical oxidation on soil quality.

Oxidation treatment helps to reduce the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) load in contaminated soils but it may also have an effect on the soil quality. The impact of permanganate and Fenton oxidation on soil quality is investigated. Soil quality is restricted here to the potential for plant growth. Soil samples were collected from an agricultural field (S1) and a former coking plant (S4). Agricultural soil was spiked with phenanthrene (PHE) and pyrene (PYR) at two concentrations (S2: 700 mg PHE kg(-1), S3: 700 mg PHE kg(-1) and 2100 mg PYR kg(-1)). Soils were treated with both oxidation processes, and analyzed for PAHs and a set of agronomic parameters. A plant germination and growth test was run with rye-grass on treated soils. Results showed that both treatments produced the expected reduction of PAH concentration (from 64% to 97%). Besides, a significant loss of organic C and N, and strong changes in available nutrients were observed. Permanganate treatment increased the specific surface area and the cation exchange capacity in relation to manganese dioxide precipitation, and produced a rise in pH. Fenton oxidation decreased soil pH and increased the water retention capacity. Plant growth was negatively affected by permanganate, related to lower soil permeability and aeration. Both treatments had an effect on soil properties but Fenton oxidation appeared to be more compatible with revegetation.

Co-cropping for phyto-separation of zinc and potassium from sewage sludge.

The use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer and soil amendment has resulted in high concentrations of heavy metals in the soil limiting its use. The present study was carried out to find the possibility of phyto-separating toxic and beneficial elements from the sludge using suitable plants. Of the five plants tested the hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii H achieved the greatest removal of Zn, while shoots of Alocasia marorrhiza accumulated high content of K. Co-cropping these two plants on the sludge verified the previous observations on A. marorrhiza and the shoots of this plant could accumulate more than 120 g K kg(-1) dry matter in the median growth stage. Zn hyperaccumulated in Sedum's shoots to an extent more than 10 g kg(-1) dry matter; K concentrated five to ten times in the Alocasia's shoots which could be used as a good organic-K-fertilizer. Hence, the two elements were simultaneously phytoseparated and could be recycled. Furthermore, cultivation of plants in the sludge resulted in significant decreases in total Zn but kept the favorable agronomic characteristics of the sludge material, such as pH, organic matter content, and NPK concentrations and ameliorated its biological stability. These results suggest that simultaneous phyto-separation of toxic and beneficial elements from sewage sludge are possible by co-cropping using specific plants without the input of any chemicals.

Assessment and control of the bioavailability of nickel in soils.

Nickel, a potentially toxic metal, is present in all soils with an average concentration of 20 to 30 mg/kg, sometimes exceeding 10,000 mg/kg (e.g., ultramafic soils). The ecotoxicological risk of Ni in soils to organisms is controlled by its availability. It is therefore essential to identify an efficient and reliable method for the evaluation of this risk. This paper presents a complete study of the effect of Ni origin, localization, and soil properties on its availability as assessed with the isotopic exchange kinetics (IEK) method and compares plant response to isotopically exchangeable properties of Ni in soils. We performed IEK on 100 soil samples representing a worldwide range of Ni fate, and concentrations showed that pH was the main influencing parameter and that labile Ni (i.e., isotopically exchangeable Ni, Et) could be reasonably well assessed by a single diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid extraction. The identification of the soil mineral phases that bear Ni (bearing phases) in 16 Ni-rich samples selected among the 100 soils showed a strong effect of the mineralogy of the bearing phases on Ni availability (IEK). Plants with different Ni accumulation strategies all took up Ni from the same labile pool of Ni in four contrasting soils, and the amount taken up by hyperaccumulator plants could be anticipated with the IEK parameters, thus confirming the usefulness of isotopic dilution methods for risk assessment.

Physicochemical and biological characterisation of different dredged sediment deposit sites in France.

The aim of this work is to determine sediment properties, metal contents and transfers of Cd and Zn from dredged sediments to plants. To this end 10 deposit sites with different contexts were visited in France. The main agronomic characteristics and metal contents for surface soil layers were measured, the plant species present at the sites, such as Brassicaceae and Fabaceae, were listed, and the distribution of their root systems described. Soil characteristics such as available P (Olsen) varied between sites, with values ranging from 0.01 to 0.49 g kg(-1). Total contents and enrichment factors were studied, highlighting metal contamination in most of the sites. Despite carrying out principal component analyses, it was not possible to group deposits by age or geographical localisation. However, deposits could be distinguished as a function of proximity of industrial facilities, sediment grain size and carbonate content. Associations between metals were also highlighted: (1) Cd, Pb and Zn, and (2) Al, Cr, Cu and Fe. Consequently, we propose classifying them as technogenic anthrosols.

Heavy metal contamination from mining sites in South Morocco: 1. Use of a biotest to assess metal toxicity of tailings and soils.

Our work was conducted to investigate the heavy metal toxicity of tailings and soils collected from five metal mines located in the south of Morocco. We used the MetPAD biotest Kit which detects the toxicity specifically due to the heavy metals in environmental samples. This biotest initially developed to assess the toxicity of aquatic samples was adapted to the heterogeneous physico-chemical conditions of anthropogenic soils. Contrasted industrial soils were collected from four abandoned mines (A, B, C and E) and one mine (D) still active. The toxicity test was run concurrently with chemical analyses on the aqueous extracts of tailings materials and soils in order to assess the potential availability of heavy metals. Soil pH was variable, ranging from very acidic (pH 2.6) to alkaline values (pH 8.0-8.8). The tailings from polymetallic mines (B and D) contained very high concentrations of Zn (38,000-108,000 mg kg(-1)), Pb (20,412-30,100 mg kg(-1)), Cu (2,019-8,635 mg kg(-1)) and Cd (148-228 mg kg(-1)). Water-extractable metal concentrations (i.e., soil extracts) were much lower but were highly toxic as shown by the MetPAD test, except for soils from mines A, E and site C3 from mine C. The soil extracts from mine D were the most toxic amongst all the soils tested. On this site, the toxicity of soil water extracts was mainly due to high concentrations of Zn (785-1,753 mg l(-1)), Cu (1.8-82 mg l(-1)) and Cd (2.0-2.7 mg l(-1)). The general trend observed was an increase in metal toxicity measured by the biotest with increasing available metal contents in tailings materials and soils. Therefore, the MetPAD test can be used as a rapid and sensitive predictive tool to assess the heavy metal availability in soils highly contaminated by mining activities.

Heavy metal contamination from mining sites in South Morocco: 2. Assessment of metal accumulation and toxicity in plants.

Metalliferous soils cover a relatively large surface area in Morocco, and up to now no hyperaccumulating plants have been identified on these mining or these industrial sites. The aim of this work was to assess the extent of metal accumulation by plants found in three mining areas in southern Morocco with the ultimate goal of finding metal hyperaccumulating species by using the MetPAD biotest. The biotest helps to obtain information on the selective metal toxicity of aqueous extracts from the plants. A strong metal toxicity, as revealed by the biotest is an indication of a hyperaccumulating plant. Toxicity tests were run concurrently with chemicals analyses of metals in plants and their water extracts. The chemical analyses allow the determination of the hyperaccumulated metal(s). Specimens of the plant species mainly growing on and in the vicinity of the three mines were sampled with their corresponding soils. The results show that all plants analyzed had lower heavy metal content and toxicity despite the relatively very high soil concentrations. A comparison of our results with the criterion used to classify the hyperaccumulator plants indicates that plants we collected from mining sites were hypertolerant but not hyperaccumulators. This was confirmed by transfer factors generally lower than 1. Nevertheless, these tolerant plants species can be used as tools for revegetation for erosion control in metals-contaminated sites (phytostabilization).