Long-Term Biomonitoring of Selenium and Arsenic Using Three Grass Species

Long-Term Biomonitoring of Selenium and Arsenic Using Three Grass Species | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Long-Term Biomonitoring of Selenium and Arsenic Using Three Grass Species Alice Goldstein-Plesser, Anna Ulanova, Maxwell Lutz, Julie Parno, and 9 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7160388/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Coal-fired power plants produce a waste stream of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) which are typically disposed of in landfills and surface impoundments that must be monitored to ensure that hazardous constituents such as arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) do not escape into the surrounding environment. Traditional methods for monitoring surface impoundments are highly resource-intensive and largely manual, posing a significant cost challenge for the stakeholders responsible for them. The use of grass species as bioindicators may offer a more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable method for long-term monitoring of CCR impoundments. In this study, we sought to determine whether three species of grass could serve as effective bioindicators for detecting changes in As and Se soil contamination profiles and provide an evaluation of three technologies used for evaluating plant health. Lolium perenne , Panicum virgatum , and Paspalum notatum were treated with As or Se and monitored with a spectroradiometer and multispectral camera to detect a spectral response to the chemical stress. We then expanded this study to a field scale to determine if our results would translate to an environmentally relevant scale. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) results suggested Lolium perenne was efficient in determining whether CCR was present in soils but lacked sensitivity to differentiate between low and high loadings. Monthly sampling also revealed that metal concentration in plant tissue decreased as plants underwent senescence. Data collected by UAV proved to be the most proficient method of determining a dose response. Biomonitoring coal combustion residuals (CCR) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spectral imaging grass as a bioindicator Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementalFiguresaerialimagingofgrassesforbiomonitoringresubmission.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 30 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 30 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 30 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 18 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7160388","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":493433854,"identity":"f6ff2c98-99f1-4509-b89e-5d4daefc0e05","order_by":0,"name":"Alice Goldstein-Plesser","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alice","middleName":"","lastName":"Goldstein-Plesser","suffix":""},{"id":493433855,"identity":"e2413fc4-b1eb-4010-83ba-7eb6223f0ee3","order_by":1,"name":"Anna Ulanova","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Oak Ridge National Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Anna","middleName":"","lastName":"Ulanova","suffix":""},{"id":493433858,"identity":"3cc24eba-c8cf-4219-99f3-da96a672524c","order_by":2,"name":"Maxwell Lutz","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Maxwell","middleName":"","lastName":"Lutz","suffix":""},{"id":493433859,"identity":"da20f566-5a80-4e75-8635-12d7f2b0a38f","order_by":3,"name":"Julie Parno","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Julie","middleName":"","lastName":"Parno","suffix":""},{"id":493433860,"identity":"b8e9a4ac-a8d5-45f6-b262-de8550a85641","order_by":4,"name":"Nicole Wuerslin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nicole","middleName":"","lastName":"Wuerslin","suffix":""},{"id":493433863,"identity":"6f02c4f3-d4c5-40e6-a279-db22b770b75b","order_by":5,"name":"Korynna Rankin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Korynna","middleName":"","lastName":"Rankin","suffix":""},{"id":493433865,"identity":"f52149da-169d-4e04-83d3-758bb6e6de51","order_by":6,"name":"Jazmine Hawkins","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Oak Ridge National Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jazmine","middleName":"","lastName":"Hawkins","suffix":""},{"id":493433867,"identity":"a8a7c234-c2d3-48ea-ac72-02c1502c3ded","order_by":7,"name":"Margaret Kurth","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Engineer Research and Development Center","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Margaret","middleName":"","lastName":"Kurth","suffix":""},{"id":493433868,"identity":"88d3a455-da7f-4ae8-80d0-05402ce923d9","order_by":8,"name":"Samuel Beal","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Samuel","middleName":"","lastName":"Beal","suffix":""},{"id":493433870,"identity":"c711c089-af94-4dab-9b46-021a1aaacd81","order_by":9,"name":"Timothy Cary","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Timothy","middleName":"","lastName":"Cary","suffix":""},{"id":493433872,"identity":"f8041f02-c522-40eb-927c-de194f7e361e","order_by":10,"name":"Jeffrey Summers","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"United States Department of Energy","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jeffrey","middleName":"","lastName":"Summers","suffix":""},{"id":493433873,"identity":"f88e16d2-2105-45ad-a8e7-cf117b9cb842","order_by":11,"name":"Taylor Rycroft","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Engineer Research and Development Center","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Taylor","middleName":"","lastName":"Rycroft","suffix":""},{"id":493433874,"identity":"9ab409f8-5a34-4eda-a9ee-57125d02cd3a","order_by":12,"name":"Franz J. Lichtner","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Franz","middleName":"J.","lastName":"Lichtner","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-18 19:53:16","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7160388/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7160388/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-025-14719-7","type":"published","date":"2025-12-09T15:57:16+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":98244236,"identity":"7d43c233-a6d1-4378-94a1-e14af97d832e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-15 16:13:51","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1044180,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"CRRELVersionAerialImagingofGrassesforBiomonitoringofCCRresubmissionEMA07232025.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7160388/v1_covered_ee65b664-bce4-43de-a549-21ea06e81316.pdf"},{"id":89678956,"identity":"104b5d1a-79a0-4c57-befd-d3c7e9dbea32","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-22 14:10:16","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":2276494,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementalFiguresaerialimagingofgrassesforbiomonitoringresubmission.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7160388/v1/0c8de021af7444cf7a45ec98.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Long-Term Biomonitoring of Selenium and Arsenic Using Three Grass Species","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-monitoring-and-assessment","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"emas","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Monitoring and Assessment](http://link.springer.com/journal/10661)","snPcode":"10661","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10661/3","title":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Biomonitoring, coal combustion residuals (CCR), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), spectral imaging, grass as a bioindicator","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7160388/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7160388/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eCoal-fired power plants produce a waste stream of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) which are typically disposed of in landfills and surface impoundments that must be monitored to ensure that hazardous constituents such as arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) do not escape into the surrounding environment. Traditional methods for monitoring surface impoundments are highly resource-intensive and largely manual, posing a significant cost challenge for the stakeholders responsible for them. The use of grass species as bioindicators may offer a more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable method for long-term monitoring of CCR impoundments. In this study, we sought to determine whether three species of grass could serve as effective bioindicators for detecting changes in As and Se soil contamination profiles and provide an evaluation of three technologies used for evaluating plant health. \u003cem\u003eLolium perenne\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePanicum virgatum\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003ePaspalum notatum\u003c/em\u003e were treated with As or Se and monitored with a spectroradiometer and multispectral camera to detect a spectral response to the chemical stress. We then expanded this study to a field scale to determine if our results would translate to an environmentally relevant scale. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) results suggested \u003cem\u003eLolium perenne\u003c/em\u003e was efficient in determining whether CCR was present in soils but lacked sensitivity to differentiate between low and high loadings. Monthly sampling also revealed that metal concentration in plant tissue decreased as plants underwent senescence. Data collected by UAV proved to be the most proficient method of determining a dose response.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Long-Term Biomonitoring of Selenium and Arsenic Using Three Grass Species","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-08-22 14:10:12","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7160388/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-07-31T00:34:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-07-30T10:08:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-07-30T10:07:57+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","date":"2025-07-18T19:43:22+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"environmental-monitoring-and-assessment","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"emas","sideBox":"Learn more about [Environmental Monitoring and Assessment](http://link.springer.com/journal/10661)","snPcode":"10661","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10661/3","title":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"e9656217-23e4-43a6-9711-296ff212e9ec","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 22nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-15T16:07:14+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7160388","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-025-14719-7","journal":{"identity":"environmental-monitoring-and-assessment","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment"},"publishedOn":"2025-12-09 15:57:16","publishedOnDateReadable":"December 9th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-08-22 14:10:12","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14719-7","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-025-14719-7","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7160388","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7160388","identity":"rs-7160388","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}