Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Removal of Ethylbenzene from Contaminated Air by Zamioculcas Zamiifolia and Microorganisms Associated on Z. Zamiifolia Leaves

  • Published:
Water, Air, & Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigated the efficiency of ethylbenzene removal in three plant species (Zamioculcas zamiifolia, Sansevieria trifasciata, and Sansevieria kirkii). The results showed that Z. zamiifolia had the highest potential to reduce the concentration of ethylbenzene from contaminated indoor air (133.9 μmol m−2 leaf area) when compared to S. trifasciata and S. kirkii (38.3 and 22.3 μmol m−2 leaf area, respectively), after 24 h. Moreover, the degradation of ethylbenzene by Z. zamiifolia was studied. 1-Phenylethanol and acetophenone, the ethylbenzene metabolites, were found in all parts of treated Z. zamiifolia (leaf, stems, and roots) but not in control plants. In order to increase the efficiency of ethylbenzene removal, various bacteria from plant leaves and soil microorganisms were inoculated on plant leaves. It was found that sterile Z. zamiifolia had a potential to remove 100 % of 5 ppm ethylbenzene within 60 h. After inoculating Bacillus cereus ZQN5 on sterile Z. zamiifolia, ethylbenzene removal was enhanced in 36 h. It can be concluded that sterile plants inoculated with epiphytic bacteria/soil microorganisms had higher ethylbenzene removal efficiency. Although Pseudomonas aeruginosa itself had a higher ethylbenzene removal rate (10.67 nmolh−1) than B. cereus ZQN5 (7.81 nmolh−1), B. cereus ZQN5 associated on leaf surface had higher efficiency than with P. aeruginosa. This might be due to B. cereus ZQN5 isolated from natural Z. zamiifolia leaves, so it can survive better under natural conditions than with soil microorganisms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexander, M. (1994). Biodegradation and bioremediation. San Diego: Academic Press book.

    Google Scholar 

  • ATSDR (1991). Toxicological profile for antimony. Agency for toxic substances and disease registry, toxicological profile, Atlanta, GA.

  • ATSDR (2010). Agency for toxic substances and disease registry, toxicological profile for ethylbenzene (Update). Atlanta, GA.

  • Boonsaner, M., Borrirukwisitsak, S., & Boonsaner, A. (2011). Phytoremediation of BTEX contaminated soil by Canna × generalis. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 74, 1700–1707.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Corseuil, H. X., Hunt, C. S., Dos Santos, R. C. F., & Alvarez, P. J. J. (1998). The influence of the gasoline oxygenate ethanol on aerobic and anaerobic BTX biodegradation. Water Research, 32, 2065–2072.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Deeb, R. A., & Alvarez-Cohen, L. (1999). Temperature effects and substrate interactions during the aerobic biotransformation of BTEX mixtures by toluene enriched consortia and Rhodococcus rhodochrous. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 62, 526–536.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hallmann, J., QuadtHallmann, A., Mahaffee, W., & Kloepper, J. (1997). Bacterial endophytes in agricultural crops. Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 43, 895–914.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. N., Tye-Din, J. A., & Reid, H. H. (2007). A structural and immunological basis for the role of human leukocyte antigen DQ8 in celiac disease. Immunity, 27, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hongsawat, P., & Vangnai, A. S. (2011). Biodegradation pathways of chloroanilines by Acinetobacter baylyi strain GFJ2. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 186, 1300–1307.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IARC. (2000). IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans (Vol. 77, pp. 227–266). Lyon: IARC Press. some industrial chemicals.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irum, M., Sobia, M., Amna, A., & Ibatsam, K. (2010). Epiphytic and endophytic phyllosphere microflora of Cassytha filiformis L. and its hosts. Ecoprint, 17, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaoru, M., Takafumi, U., Yoshinori, O., Chitose, T., Yoshie, S., Koji, U., & Yusuke, H. (2004). Metabolic activation of carcinogenic ethylbenzene leads to oxidative DNA damage. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 150, 271–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keymeulen, R., Schamp, N., & Van Langenhove, H. (1993). Factors effecting air borne monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon uptake by plants. Atmospheric Environment, A27(2), 175–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kvesitadze, E., Sadunishvili, T., & Kvesitadze, G. (2009). Mechanisms of organic contaminants uptake and degradation in plants. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 55, 458–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langenhoff, A. A. M., Zehnder, A. J. B., & Schraa, G. (1996). Behaviour of toluene, benzene and naphthalene under anaerobic conditions in sediment columns. Biodegradation, 7, 267–274.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, K., & Gibson, D. T. (1996). Toluene and ethylbenzene oxidation by purified naphthalene dioxygenase from Pseudomonas sp. strain NCIB 9816-4. Applied and Environmental Microiology, 62(9), 3101–3106.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leigh, H., David, B., Flora, R., & Gauke, V. (2007). A review of the genotoxicity of ethylbenzene. Mutation Research, 635, 81–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandhya, C., & Ashok, K. (2012). Monitoring of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) concentrations in ambient air in Firozabad, India. International Archive of Applied Science and Technology, 3(2), 92–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sangthong, S., Suksabye, P., & Thiravetyan, P. (2016). Air-borne xylene degradation by Bougainvillea buttiana and the role of epiphytic bacteria in the degradation. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 126, 273–280.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schreiber, M. E., & Bahr, J. M. (2002). Nitrate-enhanced bioremediation of BTEX contaminated groundwater: parameter estimation from natural gradient tracer experiments. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 55, 29–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schuler, M. A. (1996). The role of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in plant-insect interactions. Journal of Plant Physiology, 112, 1411–1419.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sriprapat, W., & Thiravetyan, P. (2013). Phytoremediation of BTEX from indoor air by Zamioculcas zamiifolia. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 224, 1482–1488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sriprapat, W., Suksabye, P., Areephak, S., Klantup, P., Waraha, A., Sawattan, A., & Thiravetyan, P. (2014). Uptake of toluene and ethylbenzene by plants: removal of volatile indoor air contaminants. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 102, 147–151.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Treesubsuntorn, C., & Thiravetyan, P. (2012). Removal of benzene from indoor air by Dracaena sanderiana: effect of wax and stomata. Atmospheric Environment, 57, 317–321.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yadav, R. K. P., Karamanoli, K., & Vokou, D. (2005). Bacterial colonization of the phyllosphere of Mediterranean perennial species as influenced by leaf structural and chemical features. Microbiology Ecology, 50, 185–196.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan, H. Y., Yao, J., Masakorala, K., Wang, F., Cai, M. M., & Yu, C. (2014). Isolation and characterization of a newly isolated pyrene-degrading Acinetobacter strain USTB-X. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 21, 2724–2732.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L., Zhang, C., Cheng, Z., Yao, Y., & Chen, J. (2013). Biodegradation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and o-xylene by the bacterium Mycobacterium cosmeticum byf-4. Chemosphere, 90, 1340–1347.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Higher Education Research Promotion and National Research University Project of Thailand, Office of the Higher Education Commission.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, 10150, Thailand

    Maneenuch Toabaita & Paitip Thiravetyan

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Alisa S. Vangnai

  3. National Center of Excellence for Environmental and Hazardous Waste Management (NEC-EHWM), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Alisa S. Vangnai

Authors
  1. Maneenuch Toabaita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alisa S. Vangnai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Paitip Thiravetyan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paitip Thiravetyan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Toabaita, M., Vangnai, A.S. & Thiravetyan, P. Removal of Ethylbenzene from Contaminated Air by Zamioculcas Zamiifolia and Microorganisms Associated on Z. Zamiifolia Leaves. Water Air Soil Pollut 227, 115 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-2817-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-2817-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation