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Nano-enhanced bioremediation of soil co-contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and cadmium using Helianthus annuus L. plants

delete2026-08-13
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OA
AI
V
Visha Habib
M
Muhammad Imran Khan *
Q
Qammar Farooq
M
Muhammad Hayder Ali
H
Hafiz Naeem Asghar
M
Muhammad Naveed
M
Majed Alotaibi
N
Nawab Ali
M
Mahmoud F. Seleiman
DOI:10.1186/s12870-026-09746-6delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Simultaneously removing petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) and heavy metals from soil is a challenging task. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of green-synthesized nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles and a microbial consortium in combination with sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) plants for nano-enhanced bioremediation of soil co-contaminated with PHCs and cadmium (Cd). A pot trial was conducted by growing sunflower plants on soil co-contaminated with 6000 mg kg-1 and 30 mg kg-1 of PHCs and Cd, respectively, and nZVI particles and a microbial consortium were added to the soil for plant growth enhancement and pollutants removal. The results revealed that the co-contaminated soil caused significant phytotoxicity to sunflower plants. However, the co-application of a microbial consortium and nZVI particles considerably alleviated the phytotoxic impacts of Cd and PHCs on sunflower plants, demonstrating up to 72.7% and 83.5% improvements in plant physiology and growth in contaminated soil, respectively compared to the respective unamended control. Furthermore, the combined application of a microbial consortium and nZVI particles caused 59.4% and 58.6% reduction in bioavailable Cd, and 82.7% and 74.7% decrease in PHCs in planted and unplanted treatments, respectively, with respect to their initially applied concentrations. The findings from this study indicate that the integrated application of nZVI particles and a microbial consortium was very effective in improving plant growth, mitigating Cd-accumulation in plants, confirming Cd-immobilization, and removing PHCs from soil, highlighting the potential of nano-enhanced bioremediation as a sustainable solution for the treatment and management of soil co-contaminated with inorganic and organic pollutants.
Keywords:
Nanotechnology
Phytoremediation
Heavy metals
Organic pollutants
Microbes
Oilseed crops

Journal

BMC Plant Biology cover
BMC Plant Biology
IF:
4.8
Papers:
1.0W
Citations:
3.0W

Organization

C
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Scholars:
74
Papers: 33
Citations: 0
U
university of agriculture
Scholars:
346
Papers: 163
Citations: 0
C
College of Food and Agriculture Sciences
Scholars:
29
Papers: 15
Citations: 0
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