The present research sought to determine the mineral and geochemical composition of sediment and rhizosediment samples from the Sečovljske salt pans in Slovenia. Samples from a local halophyte, Sarcocornia fruticose, were tested for their accumulation of heavy metals, than I calculated bioaccumulation factor (BCF) for heavy metals in plants. X-ray powder diffraction
(XRD) was used to determine the mineral composition of the samples, while X-ray fluorescence (XRF) was used to analyse their oxide and heavy metal content. High Resolution InductivelyCoupled Plasma Mass Spectometry (HR-ICPMS) was used to identify metals in samples of the aerial parts of S. fruticose (stems and buds). Results displayed a slightly higher content of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the roots than in above ground plant organs, suggesting that the heavy metals are mostly accumulated in the roots and do not significantly migrate to other regions of the organisms. The highest calculated BCF was for Cd (2), followed by As and Zn. For all other heavy metals measured, the BCF was smaller than 1, meaning that S. fruticose has a small mobility potential and low bioaccumulation capability for these substances, making it an unlikely candidate for bioaccumulation.
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