Metals and proteins like phytochelatin in mangrove in a tropical estuary impacted by zinc smelter industry residues, southeast, Brazil

Mangrove forests represent an important environment for the biogeochemistry process. They can act as a bioaccumulator of metals by removing from the sediment. Phytochelatins, on the other hand, play an important role in the plant's detoxification mechanism by absorbing metals that are not essential to its physiology. Sepetiba bay is historical higher metals impacted by zinc smelter industry residues. The aim of the study was evaluating the metals contamination and arsenic loke phytochelatin in mangrove and fern (leaves, flowers and branches and root) in the smelter industry residues site. The total element content in plants was determined by ICP-MS and the determination of phytochelatins was carried out by SEC-HPLC-ICP-MS. The highest concentration of As (34.81 mg kg ^− 1 ) was detected in the leaves of the fern. Zn reached 287.91 mg kg ^− 1 in the roots and Cd did not exceed 3 mg.kg ^− 1 in the plant compartments. High concentrations of As in mangrove were reported only in flowers (6.1 mg kg ^− 1 ). The metals concentrations indicate a dilution gradient from the Cia Mercantil Ingá waste to bay. The mangrove in channel Arapucaia, showed highest concentrations of Fe and Mn can be are related to the influence of drainage from the ore port and coal terminal. In fern species, biomolecule analyzes demonstrate the existence of two different chemical species of As in the plant structure, while for Mangrove, three chemical species were found in the leaves and other two in flowers and branches.