Effect of plant extracts and citric acid on phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soil

Yaqian Li; Yajun Wang; Muhammad Aman Khan; Wenxuan Luo; Zichen Xiang; Weijie Xu; Bin Zhong; Jiawei Ma; Zhengqian Ye; Youwei Zhu; Lili Duan; Dan Liu

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (Mar 2021)

Effect of plant extracts and citric acid on phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soil

Yaqian Li,
Yajun Wang,
Muhammad Aman Khan,
Wenxuan Luo,
Zichen Xiang,
Weijie Xu,
Bin Zhong,
Jiawei Ma,
Zhengqian Ye,
Youwei Zhu,
Lili Duan,
Dan Liu

Affiliations

Yaqian Li: The Key Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, PR China
Yajun Wang: The Key Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, PR China
Muhammad Aman Khan: Department of Biotechnology, Quid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Wenxuan Luo: The Key Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, PR China
Zichen Xiang: The Key Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, PR China
Weijie Xu: The Key Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, PR China
Bin Zhong: The Key Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, PR China
Jiawei Ma: The Key Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, PR China
Zhengqian Ye: The Key Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, PR China
Youwei Zhu: Cultivated Land Quality and Fertilizer Administration of Zhejiang, 310000, PR China
Lili Duan: Cultivated Land Quality and Fertilizer Administration of Zhejiang, 310000, PR China
Dan Liu: The Key Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, Zhejiang 311300, PR China; Corresponding author.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 211
p. 111902

Abstract

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Application of activating agents can significantly improve efficiency of plants for remediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals, however, damage to soil and plants limits application of traditional activating agents. The aim of our experiments is to select an efficient,green and low-cost activating agent to improve efficiency of plant extraction technology. In this study, contaminated soil was remediated by Sedum alfredii. The effects of two plant extracts (i.e., Oxalis corniculata,OX and Medicago sativaextract, ME) in addition to citric acid (CA) were studied in oscillatory activation experiment and pot experiment. The oscillation activation experiment revealed that extraction quantity of heavy metals in the soil was enhanced significantly with concentration of plant extract. The extraction quantity of Zn from 100% OX extract and ME extract were significantly higher than 10 mmol/L CA (54.04% and 33.09%, respectively). The 10 mmol/L CA has best extraction efficiency for Cd, up to 41.36 µg/kg, which is significantly higher than CK (control) (p < 0.05). The pot experiment exhibited that application of CA has significantly reduced soil pH and organic matter content by 8.63% and 28.21%, respectively, however the two extracts have no significant effect on soil properties. The study indicated that application of CA has negative effects on root morphological parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of Sedum alfredii.The addition of extracts of two plants have not caused any harm to Sedum alfredii. The application of three activating agents was beneficial for purification of Cd and Zn in soils, and its repairing efficiency was improved by 3.92, 3.37, 3.33 times and 0.44, 0.20, 0.86 times, respectively. The combination of plant extracts and hyperaccumulators can effectively remove heavy metals from contaminated soils, which provided a theoretical basis for mitigation of pollution in soils.

Published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

ISSN: 0147-6513 (Print); 1090-2414 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Technology: Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering: Environmental pollution; Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecotoxicology-and-environmental-safety

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