A baseline for heavy metal pollution across Czechia mining sites and the most effective bioremediation technique.

There is growing recognition of the threat posed by heavy metals to the health of ecosystems and natural environments. Aquatic and terrestrial areas near mining activities are likely to have the highest risk of exposure to heavy metals. Microorganisms are one of the most effective technologies used to eliminate toxicants in the environment. However, the urgency of the heavy metals issue and bioremediation at mining sites in the Czech Republic has not been widely explored. This knowledge gap will be filled by providing information on the contemporary concentration of heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc) in freshwater ecosystems and soils. This will be achieved by collecting samples from mining sites across the Czech Republic. The concentration of heavy metals will be quantified via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF). To investigate the bioremediation processes of legacy heavy metal exposure, phytoremediation technology will be performed. This novel study will present a baseline dataset of these environmental pollutants and the most effective phytoremediation technique for heavy metal removal across contaminated areas. This project will also provide new information relevant to environmental toxicology in an under-studied area.