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Identification of the medicinal plant species with the potential for remediation of hydrocarbons contaminated soils

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Abstract

In this work we describe several plants identified in a field site within 91,659 m radius of influence of a former refinery contaminated with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX), as well as light hydrocarbon fraction (C5–C10, LHF), middle hydrocarbon fraction (C10–C28, MHF) and heavy hydrocarbon fraction (C28–C40, HHF). Nine medicinal plant species were identified at the site and the number of individuals of each was determined as Sida rhombifolia (166), grasses (133), Baccharis salicifolia-Senecia salignus (115), Fraxinus sp (67), Wigandia orens (39), Buddleia cordata (27), Nicotiana glauca (26) and Phytolacca icosandra (13). An important feature of the identified plants was their medicinal properties, in addition to their survival at field conditions with high hydrocarbon concentrations (LHF, MHF, HHF and BTEX), that make them suitable species for soil phytoremediation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biotecnología y Bioingeniería, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México City, Mexico

    Refugio Rodríguez-Vázquez, Salvador Sánchez & Xenia Mena-Espino

  2. Dirección de Seguridad y Medio Ambiente, Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo, Mexico City, Mexico

    Myriam A. Amezcua-Allieri

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  1. Refugio Rodríguez-Vázquez
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  2. Salvador Sánchez
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  3. Xenia Mena-Espino
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  4. Myriam A. Amezcua-Allieri
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Correspondence to Refugio Rodríguez-Vázquez.

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Communicated by S. Srivastava.

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Rodríguez-Vázquez, R., Sánchez, S., Mena-Espino, X. et al. Identification of the medicinal plant species with the potential for remediation of hydrocarbons contaminated soils. Acta Physiol Plant 38, 23 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-015-2036-z

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