Modeling the Ecosystem Services Related to Phytoextraction: Carbon Sequestration Potential Using Willow and Poplar

Poplar and willow demonstrate great potential for the phytoextraction of trace elements (TEs) from soils. In most cases, these species are managed as short-rotation coppice, producing high woody biomass yields, which could provide a valuable contribution toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. In the current study, we compared the TE extraction and CO2 sequestration rates in a four-year field trial in Southern Italy of two arboreal species (willow and poplar). The results show that, once established in the study area, willow extracted more Cd and Cu and less Pb than poplar. The two species demonstrated the same average Ni and Zn extraction rates. Greater biomass yields in poplar suggest that this species was able to fix greater amounts of CO2 (28.7 Mg ha−1 yr−1) than willow (24.9 Mg ha−1 yr−1). We argue that the choice of the species to be used in phytoextraction should first be made considering the TE-specific affinity and phytoextraction rates. For TEs whose extraction rates were the same (i.e., Ni and Zn), poplar is to be preferred because of its ability to fix greater amounts of CO2 than willow.