SimTraces phytoavailability model (Working Package 1)

The model considers three chemical species :

• the trace element (M)
• a ligand (L)
• the complex between the trace element and the ligand (ML)

The model includes :

• Transport by diffusion and advection
• Kinetics of sorption onto the solid phase
• Kinetics of complexation
• Uptake by roots

The model has been in-depth analyzed, which allowed ranking the influential mechanisms governing the availability of Cd (Lin et al., 2016) and to characterize the potential efficiency of adding a ligand to soil to increase the phytoextraction (Lin et al., 2014).

SimTraces phytoavailability model  : Simulation of Cd uptake by 1cm root segment for 30 days for an agricultural soil.

Concentrations of the free ion (M), of the ligand (L) and of the complex (ML) in the soil solution and sorbed onto the solid phase (MS, LS and MLS, respectively) as a function of time and of the distance to the root surface (% of the initial concentrations).