• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.116-124
• /
• 2010

While groundwater is the major source for drinking and irrigation purposes, arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater is a serious issue in Bangladesh. With a view to reduce As contamination in drinking water the guideline value recommended for Bangladesh is 0.05 mg/L. We assessed groundwater As in an As-affected Sadar Upazilla (small administrative unit) in the District (administrative unit) of Chapai Nabwabganj during 2006, where 50% hand tube well water were above the recommended limit (0.05 mg/L) during dry season. Almost 20% tube well waters were above the recommended limit during rainy season, perhaps due to the dilution of water table. The groundwater in Bangladesh contaminates surface soils and plants thereby As entering the food chain. In 2005, we examined the As levels in different rice varieties grown in different Districts of Bangladesh and the As concentrations in rice grain ranged from 0.07~1.12 mg/kg while the concentrations in 3 rice varieties were above the recommended limit (1 mg/kg rice grain) and the maximum concentration was 1.12 mg/kg rice grain in the rice variety BR 11. With few exceptions, the As content of rice grain in Bangladesh is not considered to be concentration of greater health concern as yet. We also observed enhanced root uptake, efficient root-to shoot translocation, and a much elevated tolerance through internal detoxification all contribute to As hyperaccumulation in a plant, ladder brake fern (Pteris vittata L.). But the phytoremediation technique might not be an appropriate tool to reduce the As calamity in the vast areas of Bangladesh. To mitigate the As problem of Bangladesh, better coordination among governmental agencies and many other organizations will be required to combat the disaster.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.41-50
• /
• 2005

Results from an innovative approach to improve remediation in the rhizosphere by encouraging healthy plant growth and thus enhancing microbial activity are reported. The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Am) on remediation efficacy of wheat, mungbean and eggplant grown in soil spiked with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was assessed in a pot experiment. The results of this study showed that Am inoculation enhanced dissipation amount of PAHs in planted soil, plant uptake PAHs, dissipation amount of PAHs in planted versus unplanted spiked soil and loss of PAHs by the plant-promoted biodegradation. A number of parameters were monitored including plant shoot and root dry weight, plant tissue water content, plant chlorophyll, root lipid content, oxido-reductase enzyme activities in plant and soil rhizosphere and total microbial count in the rhizospheric soil. The observed physiological data indicate that plant growth and tolerance increased with Am, but reduced by PAH. This was reflected by levels of mycorrhizal root colonization which were higher for mungbean, moderate for wheat and low for eggplant. Levels of Am colonization increased on mungbean > wheat > eggplant. This is consistent with the efficacy of plant in dissipation of PAHs in spiked soil. Highly significant positive correlations were shown between of arbuscular formation in root segments (A)) and plant water content, root lipids, peroxidase, catalase polyphenol oxidase and total microbial count in soil rhizosphere as well as PAH dissipation in spiked soil. As consequence of the treatment with Am, the plants provide a greater sink for the contaminants since they are better able to survive and grow.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.15-25
• /
• 2019

Contamination of soil by deicing salt is among the important environment problems due to their toxicity and negative impact to human health and the environment. One of the effective methods for cleaning the soil from deicing salts is desalination using soil amendment-phytoremediation continuum treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine how much of the pH, EC control and Ca²⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, and K⁺ taken up soil amendments and Miscanthus sinensis, and to evaluate the effect of salt reduction and growth improvement as affected by soil amendment in high concentration of calcium chloride (CaCl₂) deicing salts. Results indicated that the addition of soil amendments was decrease the EC and pH, also significantly reduce the leaching of Ca²⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, a chloride ions related deicing salts, compared to the control for CaCl₂ 10 g/L treatment. It also resulted in an enhanced plant growth and higher plant height, leaf length, leaf width, number of leaves, fresh weight and dry weight in Hydroball treatment + Miscanthus sinensis planting continuum treatment compared to the treatment that planted Miscanthus sinensis only. Therefore, we concluded that soil amendments might be attributed to an accumulation of deicing slats in the roadside soil, resulting in the improvement of Miscanthus sinensis growth.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.637-649
• /
• 2011

Soil microorganisms play a major role in improving soil fertility and plant health. Symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form a key component of the soil microbial populations. AMF form a mutualistic association with the host plant and exert a positive influence on its growth and nutrient uptake. The establishment of mycorrhizal symbioses with the host plant can positively be influenced by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria through various mechanisms such as increased spore germination and hyphal permeability in plant roots. Though there are evidences that combined interactions between AMF and PGPR can promote the plant growth however mechanisms of these interactions are poorly understood. Better understanding of the interactions between AMF and other microorganisms is necessary for maintaining soil fertility and enhancing crop production. This paper reviews current knowledge concerning the interactions between AMF and PGPR with plants and discusses on enhanced nutrient availability, biocontrol, abiotic stress tolerance and phytoremediation in sustainable agriculture.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.145-158
• /
• 2023

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are effective technologies for urban wastewater management, utilizing natural physico-chemical and biological processes to remove pollutants. This study employed a bibliometric analysis approach to investigate the progress and future research trends in the field of CWs. A comprehensive review of 100 most-recently published and open-access articles was performed to analyze the performance of CWs in treating wastewater. Spain, China, Italy, and the United States were among the most productive countries in terms of the number of published papers. The most frequently used keywords in publications include water quality (n=19), phytoremediation (n=13), stormwater (n=11), and phosphorus (n=11), suggesting that the efficiency of CWs in improving water quality and removal of nutrients were widely investigated. Among the different types of CWs reviewed, hybrid CWs exhibited the highest removal efficiencies for BOD (88.67%) and TSS (95.67%), whereas VSSF, and HSSF systems also showed high TSS removal efficiencies (83.25%, and 78.83% respectively). VSSF wetland displayed the highest COD removal efficiency (71.82%). Generally, physical processes (e.g., sedimentation, filtration, adsorption) and biological mechanisms (i.e., biodegradation) contributed to the high removal efficiency of TSS, BOD, and COD in CW systems. The hybrid CW system demonstrated highest TN removal efficiency (60.78%) by integrating multiple treatment processes, including aerobic and anaerobic conditions, various vegetation types, and different media configurations, which enhanced microbial activity and allowed for comprehensive nitrogen compound removal. The FWS system showed the highest TP removal efficiency (54.50%) due to combined process of settling sediment-bound phosphorus and plant uptake. Phragmites, Cyperus, Iris, and Typha were commonly used in CWs due to their superior phytoremediation capabilities. The study emphasized the potential of CWs as sustainable alternatives for wastewater management, particularly in urban areas.

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