• Advances in environmental research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.19-35
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• 2016

The phytoextraction of some toxic heavy metals from municipal waste dump soil by castor plant (Ricinus communis) was tested under natural and single or mixed chelant-assisted scenarios in pot microcosms. A sandy loam with total metal contents (mg/kg): Cd (84.5), Cu (114.5), Ni (70.3), Pb (57.8), and Zn (117.5), was sampled from an active dumpsite in Calabar, Nigeria and used for the study. Castor (small seed variety) was grown under natural phytoextraction or single/binary chelant (citric acid, oxalic acid, and EDTA) applications (5-20 mmol/kg soil) for 63 days. Castor exhibited no visual phytotoxic symptoms with typically sigmoid growth profiles at the applied chelant doses. Growth rates, however, decelerated with increase in chelant dose. Post-harvest biomass yields were higher under chelant application than for natural phytoextraction. Both root and shoot metal concentrations (mg/kg) increased quasilinearly and significantly ($p{\leq}0.05$) with increase in chelant dose, furnishing maximum levels as: Cd (55.6 and 20.9), Cu (89.5 and 58.4), Ni (49.8 and 19.6), Pb (32.1 and 12.1), and Zn (99.5 and 46.6). Ranges of translocation factors, root and shoot bioaccumulation factors were 0.21-3.49, 0.01-0.89 and 0.01-0.51, respectively. Overall, the binary chelant treatments were less toxic for R. communis growth and enhanced metal accumulation in shoots to a greater extent than the single chelant scenarios, but more so when EDTA was present in the binary combination. This suggests that the mixed chelants could be considered as alternative treatments for enhanced phytoextraction and revegetation of degraded waste dump soils.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 2010

Phytoextraction is a method of phytoremediation using plants to clean up metal-contaminated soils. Recently, various chelating agents were used in this method to increase the bioavailability of metals in soils. Even though phytoextraction is an economic and environmentally friendly method, this cannot be applied in highly metal-contaminated areas because plants will not normally grow in such conditions. This research focuses on identifying chelating agents which are biodegradable and applicable to highly metal-contaminated areas. Copper (Cu) as a target metal and cysteine (Cys), histidine (His), citrate, malate, oxalate, succinate, and ethylenediamine (EDA) as biodegradable chelating agents were selected. Ethylenediamine tetracyclic acid (EDTA) was used as a comparative standard. Plants were grown on agar media containing various chelating agents with Cu to analyze the effect on root growth. Cys, His, and citrate strongly diminished the inhibitory effect of Cu on root growth of plants. The effect of oxalate was weak, and malate and succinate did not show significant effects. EDTA diminished and EDA promoted the inhibitory effects of Cu on root growth. These effects of chelating agents are correlated with Cu uptake into the roots. In conclusion, as biodegradable chelating agents, Cys, His, and citrate are good candidates for highly Cu-contaminated areas, while EDA can be useful in phytoextraction for Cu.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.213-217
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• 2000

In order to select more proper plants for phytoextraction at the heavy metal polluted areas, 11 species of non-edible plants were cultivated at the cadmium(Cd) and Lead(Pb) treated soils and analyzed the content of the absorbed Cd and Pb in each part of plants. Plants include three fibers(Linum usitatissimum, Cannabis sativa, Gossypium spp.), three flowers(Calendula officinalis, Rhododendron lateritium, Portulaca grandiflora), and five trees(Pinus thunbergii, Magnolia kobus, $Populus\;nigra\;{\times}\;P.$ maximowiczii, Euonymus japonica, Fraxinus rhynchophylla). Yield of tree species were higher than that of fiber and flower species. Cd and Pb were highly accumulated in root rather than leaves and stems. The Cd content of plants was in the order Portulaca grandiflora > Calendula officinalis > Gossypium spp. > Linum usitatissimum, Pb was Cannabis sativa > Linum usitatissimum > Fraxinus rhynchophylla. Total absorbed Cd by each plant was in the order $Populus\;nigra\;{\times}\;P.$ maximowiczii > Euonymus japonica > Rhododendron lateritium, but Pb was $Populus\;nigra\;{\times}\;P.$ maximowiczii > Rhododendron lateritium > Euonymus japonica. Total absorbed Cd and Pb contents in plants were negatively correlated with the residual Cd and Pb in the treated soils. It was estimated that $Populus\;nigra\;{\times}\;P.$ maximowiczii, Euonymus japonica, Fraxinus rhynchophylla, and Rhododendron lateritium were the most effective species for phytoextraction in the polluted area considering yield and heavy metal uptake.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.1041-1046
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• 2010

Phytoextraction is a technique which uses plants to clean up metal-contaminated soils. Recently, various chelating agents were introduced into this technique to increase the bioavailability of metals in soils. Even though the technique is an economic and environment-friendly method, this cannot be applied in highly metal-contaminated areas because plants will not normally grow in such conditions. Therefore, this research focuses on identifying chelating agents which are biodegradable and applicable to highly metal-contaminated areas. Alunimum (Al) as a target metal and cysteine (Cys), histidine (His), citrate, malate, oxalate, succinate, and ethylenediamine (EDA) as biodegradable chelating agents were selected. Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) was used as a comparative standard. Plants were grown on agar media containing various chelating agents with Al to analyze the effect on plant growth. His slightly diminished the inhibitory effect of Al on root growth of plants, whereas, Cys, citrate, malate, oxalate, and succinate did not show significant effects. Both EDTA and EDA strongly diminished the inhibitory effect of Al on root growth. The effect of EDA is correlated with decreased Al uptake into the plants. In conclusion, as a biodegradable chelating agent, EDA is a good candidate for highly Al-contaminated areas.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.155-158
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• 2014

Phytoextraction is a technique that uses plants to remediate metal-contaminated soils. However, this technique cannot be applied in highly metal-contaminated areas, as plants cannot normally grow under such conditions. Therefore, this study investigated the introduction of various biodegradable chelating agents to increase the bioavailability of metals in highly metal-contaminated areas. Mercury (Hg) was selected as the target metal, while cysteine (Cys), histidine (His), malate, succinate, oxalate, citrate, and ethylenediamine (EDA) were used as biodegradable chelating agents. Plants were grown on agar media containing various chelating agents and Hg to analyze the effect on plant root growth. Cys and EDA were both found to diminish the inhibitory effect of Hg on plant root growth, whereas His, citrate, and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) did not show any significant effects, and malate, succinate, and oxalate even promoted the inhibitory effect of Hg on plant root growth. Thus, Cys and EDA would seem to be promising biodegradable chelating agents for highly Hg-contaminated areas.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.61-65
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• 2010

Phytoextraction is a method of phytoremediation using plants to remediate metal-contaminated soils. Recently, various chelating agents were used in this method to increase the bioavailability of metals in soils. Even though phytoextraction is an economic and environment-friendly method, this cannot be applied in highly metal-contaminated areas because plants will not normally grow in such conditions. This research focuses on identifying chelating agents which are biodegradable and applicable to highly metal-contaminated areas. Lead (Pb) as a target metal and cysteine (Cys), histidine (His), citrate, malate, oxalate, succinate, and ethylenediamine (EDA) as biodegradable chelating agents were selected. Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) was used as a comparative standard. Plants were grown on agar media containing various chelating agents with Pb to analyze the effect on root growth. Cys strongly increased the inhibitory effect of Pb on root growth of plants, while, His did not affect on it significantly. The inhibitory effect of oxalate is weak, and malate, citrate, and succinate did not show significant effects. Both EDTA and EDA diminished the inhibitory effect of Pb on root growth. The effect of EDA is correlated with decreased Pb uptake into the plants. In conclusion, as biodegradable chelating agents, EDA is a good candidate for highly Pb-contaminated area.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.220-230
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: Excessive metals in the soil have become one of the most significant environmental problems. Phytoremediation has received considerable attention as a method for restoring the contaminated soils. The microbes having remarkable metal tolerance and plant growth-promoting abilities could also play a significant role in remediation of metal-contaminated soils, because bioaugmentation with such microbes could promote phytoextraction of metals. Therefore, the present study was focused on evaluating the phytoextraction of heavy metals (Co, Pb and Zn) in Helianthus annuus (sunflower) induced by bioaugmentation of a phosphate solubilizing bacterium. METHODS AND RESULTS: A phosphate solubilizing bacterium was isolated from metal-contaminated soils based on the greater halo size (>3 mm) with solid NBRIP agar medium containing 10 g glucose, 5 g $Ca_3(PO_4)_2$, 5 g $MgCl_2{\cdot}6H_2O$, 0.25 g $MgSO_4.7H_2O$, 0.2 g KCl, 0.1 g $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ in 1 L distilled water. Isolated bacterial strain was assessed for their resistance to heavy metals; $CoCl_2.6H_2O$, $2PbCO_3.Pb(OH)_2$, and $ZnCl_2$ at various concentrations ranging from $100-400{\mu}g/mL$ (Co, Pb and Zn) using the agar dilution method. A pot experiment was conducted with aqueous solutions of different heavy metals (Co, Pb and Zn) to assess the effect of bacterial strain on growth and metal uptake by Helianthus annuus (sunflower). The impact of bacterial inoculation on the mobility of metals in soil was investigated under laboratory conditions with 50 mL scaled polypropylene centrifuge tubes. The metal contents in the filtrate of plant extracts were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Perkinelmer, Aanalyst 800, USA). CONCLUSION: Inoculation with Enterobacter ludwigii PSB 28 resulted in increased shoot and root biomass and enhanced accumulation of Co, Pb and Zn in Helianthus annuus plants. The strain was found to be capable of promoting metal translocation from the roots to the shoots of H. annuus. Therefore, Enterobacter ludwigii PSB 28 could be identified as an effective promoter of phytoextraction of Co, Pb and Zn from metal-contaminated soils.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.146-155
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• 2016

The field feasibility tests for a phytoextraction process were performed to identify the effect of citric acid as a chelate on the uranium (U) transfer into the plant for the naturally U contaminated soil in Duckpyeongri, Korea. For the feasibility tests, lettuce and Chinese cabbage were cultivated for 49 days on four testing grounds ($1m{\times}1m{\times}0.5m$ in each) in 2016. The citric acid solution was added to two testing grounds (one for lettuce and the other for Chinese cabbage) increasing the U transfer in two crop plants and their results were compared to those without the citric acid solution. When without the citric acid solution, the U concentration of plant after the cultivation was low (< $45{\mu}g/kg$ for leaves and < $450{\mu}g/kg$ for roots). However, with the addition of 50 mM citric acid solution, the U concentration of lettuce leaves and roots increased by 24 times and 1.8 times, and the U concentration of Chinese cabbage leaves and roots increased by 86.7 times and 5.4 times. The absolute accumulated U amount (${\mu}g$) in lettuce and Chinese cabbage also increased by 8.7 times and 50 times, compared to those without citric acid solution. Less than 8% of the U amount of exchangeable/carbonate phases was removed by using the lettuce and Chinese cabbage when the citric acid solution was not applied. However 52% and 66% of the U amount in exchangeable/carbonate phases were removed by the lettuce and the Chinese cabbage when the citric acid solution was added. The effect of the citric acid on the U transfer capability into the plants was quantitatively investigated by the field feasibility test, suggesting that U existing as exchangeable/carbonate phase in soil can be successfully removed by the phytoextraction process using Chinese cabbage with citric acid.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.145-149
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• 2014

Arsenic (As) is one of the heavy metals which causes acute bio-toxicity even at low concentration and has disastrous effect on environment. In some countries, As contamination has become alarming and increasing day by day as consequences of unsustainable management practices. Many existing physical, chemical and biological processes for As removal from water system are not feasible due to techno-economic limitations. The present study highlights the scope of biological strategy for As removal through phytoextraction. Arsenic uptake and accumulation in the biomass of three plant species and their As tolerance abilities have been investigated to develop an efficient phytoextraction system in combination of these plant species. Three non-crop plant species, Pteris vittata; Mimosa pudica, and Eichhornia crassipus were treated with 0-200 mg/L As in liquid nutrient solution for 14 days. P. vittata accumulated total 9,082.2 mg (8,223 mg in fronds) As/kg biomass and Eichhornia total 6,969 mg (4,517 mg in fronds)/kg biomass at 200 mg/L As concentration, respectively. Bioaccumulation factor (BF) and translocation factor (TF) were estimated to differentiate between excluders, accumulators and accumulation in above ground biomass. Pteris and Eichhornia have highest BF (67 and 17) and TF (64 and 3), respectively. In contrast, Mimosa accumulated up to 174 mg As/kg plant biomass which is low in comparison with other two plants, and both BF and TF were ${\leq}1$. This study reveals that Pteris and Eichhornia are As hyperaccumulator, and potential candidates for As removal from water system.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.90 no.5
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• pp.600-607
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• 2001

This study was conducted to estimate the capability of Populus alba ${\times}$ glandulosa and Betula schmidtii for the uptake of Pb from the lead-contaminated soil and their tolerance to lead. Rooted cuttings in the former species and germinated seedlings in the latter species were planted in pots and irrigated with Pb-containing water for 60 days. In both tree species, growth inhibition was observed in 800, and 1,500ppm of $Pb(NO_3)_2$. Most Pb was accumulated in plant roots and only a small portion was transported to the shoots. The translocation rates of Pb for B. schmidtii and P. alba ${\times}$ glandulosa were 1.6-2.6% and 1.2-1.6%, respectively. The maximum Pb content accumulated in shoots was 468.0mg/kg d.w. in P. alba ${\times}$ glandulosa, and 602.0mg/kg d.w. in B. schmidtii. Although tolerance to lead was generally higher in B. schmidtii than P. alba ${\times}$ glandulosa, the highest tolerance to lead was observed in P. alba ${\times}$ glandulosa clone, 72-16. Finally, we discussed the applicability of P. alba ${\times}$ glandulosa and B. schmidtii for phytoextraction based on their Pb uptake ability, high biomass production, and easiness in large-scale cultivation.