Cadmium accumulation and Salix-based phytoextraction on arable land in Sweden
Journal article, 2004

Cadmium accumulation in arable soils causes concern due to possible direct environmental effects and health risks associated with exposure of humans to cadmium through agricultural products. This paper discusses the problem of cadmium accumulation in Swedish arable land, and evaluates Salix (Salix vinimalis) cultivation as a tool for addressing the problem. It is found that Salix cultivation offers an effective option for addressing the cadmium accumulation, especially when the topsoil has high cadmium content due to anthropogenic inflows, and the subsoil naturally contains little cadmium. The estimated practical potential for Salix-based cadmium management (ca. 490 000 ha) is very large compared to the present Salix plantation area in Sweden (ca. 15 000 ha). However, the estimates of the net economic value of cadmium removal from arable land indicate that the economics of Salix production will not improve dramatically due to an induced cadmium removal. Salix-based cadmium management will therefore most likely take place in counties where Salix cultivation can be expected to expand as a response to an unfilled biomass demand in the energy sector. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sweden

Economics

Cropland

Phytoextraction

Salix

Cadmium

Bioenergy

Author

Göran Berndes

Chalmers, Department of Physical Resource Theory

Fredrik Fredrikson

Chalmers, Department of Physical Resource Theory

Pål Börjesson

Lund University

Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment

0167-8809 (ISSN)

Vol. 103 1 207-223

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Areas of Advance

Energy

Subject Categories

Energy Systems

Environmental Sciences

DOI

10.1016/j.agee.2003.09.013

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