Phytoremediation of phenol using Polygonum orientale and its antioxidative response

Abstract

Plant samples and cultivationPlant s amples of P. orientale were collected from the Fenhe River wetland (37°51′N, 112°30′E), Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China (Fig. 1a). After diseased and yellowing leaves were removed, the plants were washed. The roots were soaked in 0.1% KMnO 4 for 10 minutes to kill the microorganisms. Vol. 41 no. 3 pp. 39-46 PL ISSN 2083-4772 DOI 10.1515/aep-2015 Abstract: Polygonum orientale with beautiful red fl owers can be found as one dominant species in the vicinity of most water bodies and wetlands in China. However, its phytoremediation potential has not been suffi ciently explored because little is known about its resistance to inorganic or organic pollutants. We investigated P. orientale response to low and moderate levels of phenol stress (≤ 80 mg L -1 Archives of Environmental Protection). Endpoints included phenol tolerance of P. orientale and the removal of the pollutant, antioxidant enzyme activities, damage to the cell membrane, osmotic regulators and photosynthetic pigments. In plant leaves, phenol stress signifi cantly increased the activities of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), as well as the contents of proline, soluble sugars and carotenoids, whereas superoxide dismutase (SOD), H 2 O 2 and electrolyte leakage (EL) levels remained unaltered. On the other hand, there were signifi cant decreases of soluble protein and chlorophyll contents. We demonstrated that, in combination with phenol tolerance and its removal, P. orientale has effi cient protection mechanisms against phenol-induced oxidative damage (≤ 80 mg L -1 ). We propose that P. orientale could be used as an alternative and interesting material in the phytoremediation of phenol.

Content of phenolic compounds in soils originating from two long-term fertilization experiments

“…They are also included in the composition of plant root exudates, and are components of fl ower and fruit dyes (Krupa and Latocha 2007). The main sources of these compounds are industry and agricultural activity (Wise and Kuske 2000, Thakur et al 2013, Wang et al 2015.…”

Removal of Cr(vi) and p-chlorophenol and generation of electricity using constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells based on Leersia hexandra Swartz: p-chlorophenol concentration and hydraulic retention time effects

“…This result was similar to the growth reported by Ibáñez et al 39 With the increase of 4-CP concentration, the toxic effect generated a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which triggered oxidative damage of plants and damaged protein and chlorophyll structure and function. 49 The levels of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids at stage 3 decreased by 39.8%, 57.4% and 14.3%, respectively, compared with those at stage 2. Toxic effects reduce the levels of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids, 50 thereby inhibiting plant photosynthesis and growth.…”