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Nano-enhanced bioremediation of soil co-contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and cadmium using Helianthus annuus L. plants
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DOI:10.1186/s12870-026-09746-6.png)
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
IF:
4.8
Papers:
1.0W
Citations:
3.0W
