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Potential use of king grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. × Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.) for phytoextraction of cadmium from fields

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Abstract

Using king grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. × Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.) for phytoextraction is a promising technology for producing large amounts of biomass fuel while remediating contaminated soil. To assess the practical phytoextraction capacity of king grass, we conducted a field experiment with three different soil types (loam, sandy loam, clay loam) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 mg kg−1, aged stably for 6 years). King grass were harvested at two different periods (elongation and maturity) to identify the optimal harvest time for extraction efficiency. The results showed that all treatments had bioconcentration factor (BCF) > 1 and translocation factor (TF) < 1; Cd is mainly stored in the roots. However, due to a high shoot biomass, the highest quantity of Cd extracted from shoots was 2.75 mg plant−1, from the experimental group with 16 mg kg−1 Cd added in sandy loam. A significant positive relationship (P < 0.05) was observed between the amount of Cd extracted from king grass stems, leaves, and roots from soil with the diethylene triamine pentacetate acid (DTPA) extractable Cd concentration. The Cd concentration in shoots at the maturity stage is lower than at the elongation stage, mainly due to the effect of biological dilution. Meanwhile, there is significantly more biomass (P < 0.05) at the maturity stage than at the elongation stage. At the latter, the extraction efficiency of the three soils was loam > sandy loam > clay loam, while at maturity it was sandy loam > clay loam > loam. This change in extraction efficiency can be attributed mainly to differences in soil DTPA-extractable Cd concentration and growth rate caused by differences in soil physical and chemical properties. According to calculations from multiple harvests using three types of soil, remediating contaminated soil with 0–16 mg kg−1 Cd would take 13.9–224.5 and 19.5–250.6 years, extracting 7.21–265.23 and 4.96–330.52 g ha−1 Cd while producing 33.62–66.50 and 73.8–110.5 t ha−1 dry biomass at the elongation (90 days) and maturity (120 days) stages, respectively. In summary, king grass has major potential for remediating Cd-contaminated soil while producing large volumes of biofuel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, Fujian, China

    Zhiqiang Zhou, Yangyang Guo, Li Hu, Lan He, Bo Xu, Guo Wang & Yanhui Chen

  2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Improvement, Crops Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Zhenrui Huang

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  1. Zhiqiang Zhou
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  2. Yangyang Guo
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  3. Li Hu
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  4. Lan He
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  5. Bo Xu
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  6. Zhenrui Huang
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  7. Guo Wang
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  8. Yanhui Chen
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Correspondence to Zhenrui Huang or Yanhui Chen.

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Zhou, Z., Guo, Y., Hu, L. et al. Potential use of king grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. × Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.) for phytoextraction of cadmium from fields. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 35249–35260 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09844-4

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