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The Use of Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) to Remediate Soil Contaminated with Petroleum

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Abstract

A greenhouse experiment was performed to evaluate effectiveness of goosegrass (Eleusine indica) in phytoremediation of soil contaminated with 8,247 mg kg−1 of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). We determined seed germination toxicity, soil microbial viable counts, catalase activity, dehydrogenase activity (DHA), and the concentrations of TPH and 14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil and plant tissue. After 5 months, the initial level of contamination was reduced by 47% in planted soil, whereas it was only reduced by 11% in nonplanted soil. Bacterial numbers were 72 times greater in the rhizosphere treated soil than in the unvegetated treatment at the end of the study. There was no correlation between microbial counts or DHA and catalase activity, and the correlation between microbial counts and DHA was weak. Significant chemical reduction of H2O2, caused by the soil fabric, was observed in the determination of catalase activity. In case of vegetated treatment, 32% of PAHs was removed, but only 5% of PAHs was dissipated in the unvegetated pots. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of plant tissue indicated that a low amount of PAHs (25.50 mg kg−1 dry biomass) was detected in goosegrass roots growing in the contaminated soil, and no uptake into the shoots was occurring.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40672211). The authors are grateful to State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing of China for their technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemical Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, 102249, China

    Mang Lu, Zhongzhi Zhang, Shanshan Sun, Qinfang Wang & Youming Su

  2. CSIRO Petroleum (ARRC Kensington), Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia

    Xiaofang Wei

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  1. Mang Lu
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  2. Zhongzhi Zhang
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  3. Shanshan Sun
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  4. Xiaofang Wei
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  5. Qinfang Wang
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  6. Youming Su
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Correspondence to Zhongzhi Zhang.

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Lu, M., Zhang, Z., Sun, S. et al. The Use of Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) to Remediate Soil Contaminated with Petroleum. Water Air Soil Pollut 209, 181–189 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-0190-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-0190-x

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