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Potential for phytoremediation of nonylphenol from sewage sludge
Author(s) -
Liu Qingyun,
Zhou Zhihong,
Zhou Shujie,
Lei Yutao,
Zhao Kunrong,
Zhao Tao,
Wu Qitang,
Qiu Jinrong
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.1002/jeq2.20048
Subject(s) - lolium perenne , phytoremediation , sewage sludge , nonylphenol , sewage , agronomy , chemistry , sewage treatment , environmental science , environmental chemistry , environmental engineering , poaceae , biology , heavy metals
Nonylphenol (NP) is considered a major contaminant that must be removed to enable safe and environmentally friendly land application of sewage sludge. Phytoremediation is a technology in which plants are used to remove and/or stabilize organic and inorganic contaminants present in the soil, municipal wastewater, and sewage sludge. In this study, a 391‐d large pot experiment was conducted to remove NP from sewage sludge by phytoremediation using Zea mays L. ‘Yunshi‐5’, Lolium perenne L., and co‐cropping of the two plants. The fate of NP in the soil under the sewage sludge was assessed at the same time. At the end of the experiment, the NP levels in sludge from the various treatments were as follows: control (38.60%) > L. perenne (31.27%) > Z. mays (16.25%) > co‐cropping (15.28%). Degradation followed an availability‐adjusted first‐order kinetics with a decreasing order of half‐lives as follows: control (88.2 d) > L. perenne (87.3 d) > co‐cropping (66.2 d) > Z. mays (59.1 d). The results indicated that Z. mays and co‐cropping could both degrade NP. The concentrations of NP in tissues of different plants differed significantly. The mean bioconcentration factors for Z. mays and L. perenne were 0.16 and 3.69, respectively. Direct removal of NP from sewage sludge by plant uptake was negligible, as was downward movement of NP in the system. Moreover, NP was not detected in soils in any treatments at harvest.