International Journal of Phytoremediation最新文献

Oil-bearing aromatic plants are superior to traditional crops and grasses in phytoremediation due to their high stress tolerance and ornamental value. Here, spearmint (Mentha crispa), a model aromatic plant species, with or without spearmint leaf amendment, was used in a pot experiment to evaluate the phytoremediation effects on a PAHs-contaminated soil. After 180 days, the planted pots amended with essential oil-containing spearmint leaves exhibited a $\sum 16\text{PAHs}$ removal rate of 26.80%, significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that by the planted pots added with essential oil-deprived leaves (9.75%) and planting alone (5.13%). The 4-ring PAHs tended to be preferentially removed, leading to compositional alterations of PAHs. Also, the substrate-assisted PAHs degradation was not at the cost of appreciable loss of stable soil organic carbon. Further, combination of planting and oil-containing leaf amendment exhibited relatively more root exudates in abundance which could serve as biostimulants for PAHs rhizodegradation. Spearmint roots and leaves harvested accumulated 2868.42 and 3698.97 ng/g PAHs which were mostly translocated to essential oils during hydistillation, implying that essential oils may be PAHs dissipation enhancers. These results manifest the oil-bearing leaf amendment a spur to phytoremediation of PAHs by spearmint. Spearmint holds promising in remediation and rejuvenation of PAHs-contaminated urban soils.

Phytoremediation is an environmentally friendly and low-cost technology for remediating petroleum contaminated soils. This review analyzed the publications indexed in the Scopus database between 2015 and 2025. The number of publications and citations related to the phytoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons has increased rapidly, presumably due to the growing environmental pollution of petrochemicals worldwide. China emerged as the most productive country, followed by India and the United States, respectively. The majority of publications were found in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, International Journal of Phytoremediation, Chemosphere, Science of the Total Environment, and Journal of Hazardous Materials. The top five keywords in this field were bioremediation, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons, rhizoremediation, and heavy metals, excluding phytoremediation. The keyword analysis showed a focus on co-contaminated soil, plant-microbial interaction, amendment-assisted phytoremediation, and phytotoxicity. This bibliometric review provides valuable insights for future directions related to the phytoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Residual dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in agricultural soil can be absorbed by crops, posing potential risks to human health through the food chain. Root exudates play a critical role in modulating DBP bioavailability and regulating its uptake, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated how different root exudates influence DBP absorption dynamics and transport pathways in rice. Citric acid markedly enhanced DBP bioavailability by reducing solution pH and improving root activity through the activation of aquaporin, anion channel, and calcium channels, resulting in higher DBP uptake (bioconcentration factor, BCF = 0.14) and translocation to shoots (translocation factor, TF = 1.66). Conversely, ferulic acid exhibited limited activation, suppressing root activity and hindering DBP uptake and metabolism, which lowered accumulation (BCF = 0.04) and restricted transfer to edible tissues (TF = 0.59). Rhizosphere 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that citric acid selectively enriched acid-resistant Firmicutes, promoting DBP solubilization and accumulation, whereas the control treatment favored Acidobacteria, which facilitated DBP degradation and reduced its availability for root uptake. These findings highlight the pivotal role of root exudates in shaping microbial communities and altering physiological pathways to regulate plasticizer absorption and metabolism in crops, providing novel insights for mitigating phthalate contamination in agricultural systems.

In this research, biologically synthesized iron oxide(Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles and phytoremediation studies(Pistia stratiotes) were used to treat the pharmaceutical effluents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of phytoremediation and Fe₂O₃-based adsorption for treating pharmaceutical effluents. The biologically synthesized iron oxide nanoparticle was characterized through UV-DRS, FTIR, and SEM-EDAX. The size of Fe₂O₃ ranged from 400-500nm. Phytoremediation achieved a maximum removal of 85.17% at 200 mg/L, whereas the highest remediation achieved using iron oxide nanoparticles is 60.70% at 400 mg/L. Similarly, a kinetic study revealed that 25 mg of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles could efficiently degrade different concentrations of mixed phenols at the end of 60 min. Wastewater analysis, such as TDS, Nitrate, DO, and BOD, was performed for 5 days. Chlorophyll a was found to be in the range of 0.002-0.01 mg/g while chlorophyll b was in the range of 0.0-0.036 mg/g. Histopathology studies revealed that mixed phenols had a great effect on the root and leaves of P. stratiotes. The phytotoxicity analysis employing Vigna radiata was performed, revealing that it had the highest tolerance level against mixed phenols, showing germination on 60 mg/L of mixed phenols. Finally, it was inferred that the integrated approach boosted the removal of phenolic compounds from the wastewater.

This study explores the transformation of oil condensate waste (OCW) into activated carbons (ACs) as an efficient solution for managing condensate waste within palm oil mill, while providing a sustainable alternative for dye removal from wastewater. OCW was chemically activated using sulfuric acid (CH samples) and zinc chloride (CZ samples), followed by comprehensive characterization of their elemental composition, surface chemistry, and textural properties. The resulting activated carbons exhibited specific surface areas ranging from 427.85 to 493.42 m²/g with the maximum adsorption capacities of 230.5 mg/g. Adsorption performance was evaluated using isotherm and kinetic models, with the pseudo-second-order model providing the best fit, indicative of a chemisorption mechanism. Thermodynamic parameters further revealed that the adsorption process was both endothermic and spontaneous in nature. The results demonstrate the potential of activated carbons derived from OCW as efficient and sustainable adsorbents for wastewater treatment applications.

Industrial wastewater pollution is an environmental problem that affects ecosystems and communities. Phycoremediation offers an eco-friendly alternative for contaminant removal. This study evaluated the efficiency of Tetradesmus obliquus (To), Chlorella sorokiniana (Cs), and Chlorella vulgaris (Cv) in treating dairy wastewater. Microalgae were cultivated in photobioreactors at four dilution rates (0.20, 0.25, 0.30, and 0.35d^-1). The initial wastewater contained pH 7.79 ± 0.50, total nitrogen (TN) 188 ± 0.50 mg L^-1, total phosphorus (TP) 20.45 ± 0.17 mg L^-1, chemical oxygen demand (COD) 8400 ± 52mgO₂L^-1, Mn 2.02mgL^-1, Al 217.43mgL^-1, Cr 0.04μgL^-1, total coliforms (TC) 3800CFUmL^-1, and Escherichia coli (EC) 100CFUmL^-1. All microalgae showed high removal efficiency, with 0.20d^-1 as the optimal rate. After treatment, To0.20 reduce TN 97.3 ± 0.71mgL^-1, TP 2.39 ± 0.16mgL^-1, COD 570 ± 2mgO₂L^-1, Mn 0.06 ± 0.00mgL^-1, Al 0.07 ± 0.00mgL^-1, Cr 0.02 ± 0.00µgL^-1, TC and EC not detected. Cs0.2, it was TN 4.94 ± 0.35mgL^-1, TP 6.59 ± 0.23mgL^-1, COD 432 ± 13mgO₂L^-1, Mn 0.06 ± 0.00mgL^-1, Al 0.03 ± 0.01mgL^-1, TC 4 ± 0CFU mL^-1, Cr and EC not detected and Cv0.2, it was TN 5.15 ± 0.89mgL^-1, TP 5.77 ± 0.05mgL^-1, COD 450 ± 14mgO₂L^-1, Mn 0.06 ± 0.00mgL^-1, Al, Cr, TC and EC not detected. The best treatment was Cv0.20, which eliminated 99% TN, 72% TP, 95% COD, and 100% TC and EC. This study provides new insights into using different microalgae and dilution rates to produce remediated effluent meeting irrigation standards.

The high content of toxic metals (TMs) in tannery solid waste (TSW) necessitates a synergistic approach for its remediation. The research focused on the derivation of TSW biochar and its autochthonous microbes as an integrated approach for phytoextraction of TMs. For this, TSW autochthonous strains of Bacillus and Trichoderma viride were used alone and in combination with TSW biochar treatments of 2.5, 5, and 10% (w/w), namely; BC1, BC2, BC3. Surface analyses of TSW biochar through SEM and FTIR demonstrated the agglomeration and deposition of inorganic moieties and exchangeable functional sites on the biochar surface. The combined treatment of TSW biochar along with Bacillus and T. viride revealed significantly improved TMs uptake (Cr 540.01 mg kg^-1 > Cd 380.44 mg kg^-1 > Pb 224.44 mg kg^-1) and plant biomass at 10% TSW biochar amendment. However, TMs content was found below the limit of detection (LOD) in seeds of sunflower. Biochemical responses such as total soluble protein content (73.61%), total chlorophyll content (12.69%), catalase (80.66%), and superoxide dismutase (82.31%) were improved under treatment assisted with microbial inoculum as compared to control. This integrated method promotes environmental sustainability and agricultural production by addressing the challenges associated with handling of TSW.

Solution combustion method (SCM), with urea as a fuel, is a convenient method to synthesize nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles. NiO nanoparticles have been characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with EDX, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and BET surface area determination. The average size of the NiO nanoparticles is 22 nm, and it has a band gap of 3.17 eV. It also showed a cubical assembly. Furthermore, the average size of NiO nanoparticles has been confirmed via TEM analysis, which is 25 nm. Malachite green (MG) and Janus green blue (JGB) dye degradation under solar irradiation could be prevented with synthetic NiO nanoparticles with the modification of catalytic concentration, pH, and the dye concentrations. The NiO nanoparticles demonstrated superior photocatalytic degradation against MG, and JGB as 97% and 96%. The catalyst concentration, pH, and dye concentration were varied with the aim to measure the degradation efficiency. A dye concentration of 1 × 10^-4 mol/dm³ and a dye pH of 4 provided the most effective results.

To alleviate selenium (Se) stress, the effects of serotonin (SER, 150 μmol/L) on the growth and Se accumulation of Cyphomandra betacea seedlings under Se stress (1.0 mg/L) were assessed. The results indicated that SER increased the biomass and photosynthetic pigment content of C. betacea seedlings under Se stress, while reducing the antioxidant enzymes activities, root Se content, and shoot Se content. Compared with Se treatment, SER decreased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) by 34.08% and 25.22%, respectively, and decreased the contents of root Se and shoot Se by 12.79% and 17.14%, respectively. Furthermore, correlation, principal component, and cluster analyses revealed that the root Se content, SOD activity, and POD activity were closely correlated with the shoot Se content. Therefore, SER can alleviate Se-induced toxicity, and inhibit the Se accumulation of C. betacea seedlings.

Winter evergreen shrubs play a vital role in mitigating atmospheric particulate matter (PM) and potentially toxic elements (PTEs). This study evaluated PM retention and PTE accumulation in four shrub species from northern Jiangsu. Rhododendron × pulchrum exhibited the greatest PM retention (0.1082 mg/cm²) and the highest accumulation of Cr, Mn, Ni, As, Cd, and Pb in both surface deposits and leaf tissues. PM distribution was dominated by coarse particles (PM_>10, 71.60%), followed by PM_2.5-10 (21.60%) and PM_0.2-2.5 (6.81%), with Buxus megistophylla showing superior capacity for fine particle (PM_0.2-2.5) capture. Photinia × fraseri displayed elevated Hg levels (0.040 mg/kg), whereas Pittosporum tobira accumulated the highest Zn concentrations (36.041 mg/kg). Leaf PM load was strongly and positively correlated with most PTEs (p < 0.01). Notably, Cu and Pb in P. tobira leaves and Pb in B. megistophylla leaves were significantly correlated with the corresponding elements in leaf-associated PM (p < 0.05). These results confirm that PM of different size fractions exhibits distinct selective adsorption patterns for atmospheric PTEs. Overall, R. pulchrum appears to be a promising understory shrub species for greening in PTE-contaminated environments.