Plant uptake and dissipation of PBDEs in the soils of electronic waste recycling sites

Abstract

Weathered PBDEs can be taken up by plants and lower brominated PBDEs are associated with higher bioavailability to plants and a higher dissipation in soils.a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c tPlant uptake and dissipation of weathered PBDEs in the soils of e-waste recycling sites were investigated in a greenhouse study. Eighteen PBDE congeners (tri-through deca-) were detected in the plant tissues. The proportion of lower brominated PBDEs (mono-through hexa-) in plant roots was higher than that in the soils. A concentration gradient was observed of PBDEs in plants with the highest concentrations in the roots followed by the stems and lowest in the leaves. Reduction rates of the total PBDEs in the soils ranged from 13.3 to 21.7% after plant harvest and lower brominated PBDEs were associated with a higher tendency to dissipate than the higher brominated PBDEs. This study provides the first evidence for plant uptake of weathered PBDEs in the soils of e-waste recycling sites and planting contributes to the removal of PBDEs in e-waste contaminated soils.

Characterization of PBDEs in soils and vegetations near an e-waste recycling site in South China

“…For example, the concentration of SPBDEs in vegetable fields was 2 times higher than that in paddy fields, which may be ascribed to the variable cultivation activities or the distinct plant species. It was reported that plants could take up PBDEs from soil directly and pumpkin root had the highest PBDE concentrations among the plants tested (Huang et al, 2011).…”

Influences of artificial root exudate components on the behaviors of BDE-28 and BDE-47 in soils: desorption, availability, and biodegradation

“…Standard solution containing 19 PBDE congeners (mono-through tetraBDEs) was used to identify the debrominated products of BDE-28 and BDE-47. The extraction and analysis procedures for PBDEs were described in our previous publication (Huang et al 2011) …”

Field study on the uptake and translocation of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in biosolids-amended soils

“…The lipid concentration of wheat roots was found to be 2.18%. The RLOMAFs ranged from 1.05 to 4.55, which were higher than those of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, 0.02e0.71, Huang et al, 2011), but was similar to 4-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, 1.59e2.66, Tao et al, 2009). Yoo et al (2011) suggested that the transfer potential of long-chain PFCAs from soils to plants was lower than that of short-chain PFCAs.…”