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Hot NTA Application Enhanced Metal Phytoextraction from Contaminated Soil

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Abstract

To increase the phytoextraction efficiency of heavy metals and to reduce the potential negative effects of mobilized metals on the surrounding environment are the two major objectives in a chemically enhanced phytoextraction process. In the present study, a biodegradable chelating agent, NTA, was added in a hot solution at 90°C to soil in which beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L., white bean) were growing. The concentrations of Cu, Zn and Cd, and the total phytoextraction of metals by the shoots of the plant from a 1 mmol kg−1 hot NTA application exceeded those in the shoots of plants treated with 5 mmol kg−1 normal NTA and EDTA solutions (without heating treatment). A significant correlation was found between the concentrations of metals in the shoots of beans and the relative electrolyte leakage rate of root cells, indicating that the root damage resulting from the application of a hot solution might play an important role in the process of chelate-enhanced metal uptake in plants. The application of hot NTA solutions did not significantly increase metal solubilization in soil in comparison with a normal application of solution of the same dosage. Therefore, the application of a hot NTA solution may provide a more efficient alternative in chemical-enhanced phytoextraction, although further studies of techniques of application in fields are sill required.

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Acknowledgments

The project was supported by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong SAR Government (PolyU5046/02E) and the Postdoctoral Research Fellowships from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (G-YX07 and G-YY88).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Chun-Ling Luo, Zhen-Guo Shen & Xiang-Dong Li

  2. College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Zhen-Guo Shen

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  1. Chun-Ling Luo
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Correspondence to Xiang-Dong Li.

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Luo, CL., Shen, ZG. & Li, XD. Hot NTA Application Enhanced Metal Phytoextraction from Contaminated Soil. Water Air Soil Pollut 188, 127–137 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-007-9529-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-007-9529-3

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