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Phytoremediation efficiency of a PAH-contaminated industrial soil using ryegrass, white clover, and celery as mono- and mixed cultures

  • SOILS, SEC 3 • REMEDIATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CONTAMINATED AND DEGRADED LANDS • RESEARCH ARTICLE
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Abstract

Purpose

Phytoremediation has been recognized as a promising technology for the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soils. However, little is known about how plant species and cropping patterns affect the process of phytoremediation removing PAHs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate further the effects of monocultures or mixed cultures of different plant species on PAH phytoremediation.

Materials and methods

Soils were sampled from a coke plant in Beijing, and ryegrass, white clover, and celery were selected as the model plants. Pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using these plants as mono-, two-, and three-species mixed cultures for 75 days. At the end of the experiment, the soil and plant samples were collected for PAH analysis. Moreover, the lipid content and fresh biomass of plants were also determined.

Results and discussion

The average remaining percentage of PAHs in mixtures (48%) was significantly lower than those in monocultures (55%) and nonplanted soils (70%). In all treatments, plant-promoted biodegradation accounted for almost 99% plant-enhanced PAH losses, but plant uptake only contributed less than 2%. Between individual PAHs, 2–4-ring PAHs were generally more affected by plant uptake, especially for celery and mixed cultures, while 3–6-ring PAHs were impacted the most by biodegradation which was most enhanced in the presence of multispecies mixtures.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that certain multispecies mixtures facilitate the phytoremediation of PAH-contaminated soils over monocultures. Moreover, plant-promoted biodegradation was the major pathway for PAH phytoremediation, whereas plant uptake was the minor one. Both of these pathways were dependent on plant species, cropping pattern, and PAH size.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, China (2007CB407304) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (20807053).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Lab of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, People’s Republic of China

    Liang Meng & Min Qiao

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Ullevål Stadion, P.O. Box 3930, 0806, Oslo, Norway

    Hans Peter H. Arp

Authors
  1. Liang Meng
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  2. Min Qiao
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  3. Hans Peter H. Arp
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Min Qiao.

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Responsible editor: Peter Schröder

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Meng, L., Qiao, M. & Arp, H.P.H. Phytoremediation efficiency of a PAH-contaminated industrial soil using ryegrass, white clover, and celery as mono- and mixed cultures. J Soils Sediments 11, 482–490 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-010-0319-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-010-0319-y

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