Phytoextraction of cadmium-contaminated soil and potential of regenerated tobacco biomass for recovery of cadmium

The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of regenerated tobacco on the extraction of Cd from two acidic soils as well as to address the problem of how to deal with contaminated leaves following phytoextraction. Results showed that a coppicing tobacco led to a decline in Cd concentration in regenerated leaves and stalks when plants were grown in pots, but increased concentrations in regenerated lower and middle leaves when plants were grown under field conditions. The highest recorded bioconcentration factors in Chaling and Guanxi soil were 37.53 and 19.21 in lower leaves in the field, respectively. Total Cd extraction efficiency in practice (9.43% for Chaling soil and 6.24% for Guanxi soil) under field conditions confirmed our theoretical calculations (10.0% for Chaling soil and 6.73% for Guanxi soil). Use of a 0.5% hydrochloric acid(HCl) solution was sufficient to reduce Cd (98.4%) in tobacco leaves to permissible levels as required by the Hygienic Standard for Feeds in China (≤0.5 mg kg(−1)). Regenerated tobacco has the potential to allow cultivation of Cd contaminated farmland to produce animal feed, assist in lowering total Cd content of soil, and allow income generation for farmers.