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Bioremoval of lead using Pennisetum purpureum augmented with Enterobacter cloacae-VITPASJ1: A pot culture approach

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Abstract

Lead is a toxic heavy metal discharged into the ecosystem from various industries. Biological remediation strategies have been effective in the bioremoval of lead. In our current study, a phytobacterial system using Pennisetum purpureum along with lead-resistant bacterium (LRB) was employed for the uptake of lead. The LRB was obtained from lead-contaminated sites. The isolate VITPASJ1 was found to be highly tolerant to lead and was identified as an effective plant growth-promoting bacterium. The 16S rRNA sequencing revealed VITPASJ1 to be the closest neighbour of Enterobacter cloacae. The lead-resistant gene pbrA in the plant and the bacterium were amplified using a specific primer. The uptake of lead was studied by phytoremediation and rhizoremediation set-ups where the soil was supplemented with various concentrations of lead (50, 100, 150 mg/kg). The plants were uprooted at regular intervals, and the translocation of lead into the plant was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The root length, shoot height and chlorophyll content were found to be higher in the rhizoremediation set-up when compared to the phytoremediation set-up. The scanning electron microscopic micrographs gave a clear picture of increased tissue damage in the root and shoot of the phytoremediation set-up as compared to the rhizoremediation set-up with LRB.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the VIT management for providing lab facilities to carry out their research. They also would like to extend their appreciations to the farm management in Brahmapuram and the nursery of CBMR, VIT University, for providing the required plants and the space to carry out the study, respectively. The authors extend their heartfelt gratitude to both the SEM facility in SBST and the TBI facilities in VIT University. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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  1. School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India

    Anamika Das, Priyanka Belgaonkar, Aditya S. Raman, Sofia Banu & Jabez W. Osborne

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  1. Anamika Das
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  2. Priyanka Belgaonkar
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  3. Aditya S. Raman
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Correspondence to Jabez W. Osborne.

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Das, A., Belgaonkar, P., Raman, A.S. et al. Bioremoval of lead using Pennisetum purpureum augmented with Enterobacter cloacae-VITPASJ1: A pot culture approach. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 15444–15453 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8988-3

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