The carcinogenic attribute of arsenic (As) has turned the world to focus more on the decontamination and declining the present level of As from the environment especially from the soil and water bodies. Phytoremediation has achieved a status of sustainable and eco-friendly approach of decontaminating pollutants, and in the present study, an attempt has been made to reveal the potential of As remediation by a halophyte plant, Acanthus ilicifolius L. Special attention has given to analyse the morphological, physiological and anatomical modulations in A. ilicifolius, developed in response to altering concentrations of Na₂AsO₄.7H₂O (0, 70, 80 and 90 μM). Growth of A. ilicifolius under As treatments were diminished as assessed from the reduction in leaf area, root length, dry matter accumulation, and tissue water status. However, the plants exhibited a comparatively higher tolerance index (44%) even when grown in the higher concentrations of As (90 μM). Arsenic treatment induced reduction in the photochemical activities as revealed by the pigment content, chlorophyll stability index (CSI) and Chlorophyll a fluorescence parameter. Interestingly, the thickness and diameter of the xylem walls in the leaf as well as root tissues of As treated samples increased upon increasing the As concentration. The adaptive strategies exhibited by A. ilicifolius towards varying concentrations of As is the result of coordinated responses of morpho-physiological and anatomical attributes, which make the plant a promising candidate for As remediation, especially in wetlands.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are easily influenced by increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration and heavy metals including cadmium (Cd), which can regulate antioxidant enzyme in host plants. Although the effect of AMF under individual conditions such as elevated CO₂ (ECO₂) and Cd on antioxidant enzyme in host plants has been reported widely, the effect of AMF under ECO₂ + Cd receives little attention. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of AMF community in roots on superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) activities in leaves of 135-d Robinia pseudoacacia L. seedlings under ECO₂ + Cd. The activities of SOD and CAT increased and POD activity and the richness and diversity of AMF community decreased under ECO₂ + Cd relative to Cd alone. The richness and diversity of AMF were negatively related to Cd content in roots and leaves. The richness and OTUs of AMF community positively and AMF gene abundance negatively affected POD activity under the combined treatments. Superoxide dismutase and POD activities were negatively and positively related to Archaeospora and Scutellospora, respectively, under ECO₂ + Cd. Cadmium in roots and leaves was negatively and significantly related to Glomus, Scutellospora, and Claroideoglomus abundance under ECO₂ + Cd. Overall, AMF diversity and Archaeospora and Scutellospora in roots significantly influenced SOD, POD, and CAT activities. The response of AM symbiosis to ECO₂ might regulate antioxidant capacity in host plants upon Cd exposure. Glomus, Scutellospora, and Claroideoglomus might be applied to phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils.

Arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) are common co-contaminates in soils. However, their interactive effects on their accumulation and distribution in As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata are poorly understood. A hydroponic experiment was conducted with As being 0, 5, or 50 μM and Cu being 0.32, 3.2, or 32 μM to evaluate their phytotoxicity, accumulation, and distribution in P. vittata. In addition, As and Cu uptake kinetics were examined using the Michaelis-Menten kinetics model. Total As and Cu concentrations in P. vittata were up to 487 and 1355 mg kg⁻¹. About 39–81% of the As was in the fronds compared to 0.6–18% for Cu. At 50 μM As, increasing Cu concentration from 0.32 to 32 μM increased root As while decreasing frond As concentrations, with the translocation factor (ratio of As in fronds to roots) being reduced from 4.0 to 0.31. In contrast, As did not affect Cu accumulation in P. vittata. Michaelis constant Kₘ value for As was higher than that of Cu (6.49–24.9 vs. 0.43–3.36), consistent with higher Cu uptake than As. Besides, Cu reduced root K but increased P levels in the roots, whereas As increased the K and P concentrations in the fronds. Our results suggest that P. vittata accumulated more Cu than As in the roots, contributing to its low As translocation. As such, high levels of Cu are likely to reduce As uptake by P. vittata during phytoremediation of As-contaminated sites.

Uranium, a radionuclide, is a predominant element utilized for speciality requirements in industrial applications, as fuels and catalyst. The radioactive properties and chemical toxicity of uranium causes a major threat to the ecosystem. The hazards associated with Uranium pollution includes the cancer in bones, liver, and lungs. The toxicological properties of Uranium are discussed in detail. Although there are many methods to eliminate those hazards, this research work is aimed to describe the application of bioremediation methods. Bioremediation methods involve elimination of the hazards of uranium, by transforming into low oxidation form using natural microbes and plants. This study deeply elucidates the methods as bioleaching, biosorption, bioreduction and phytoremediation. Bioleaching process involves bio-oxidation of tetravalent uranium when it gets in contact with acidophilic metal bacterial complex to obtain leach liquor. In biosorption, chitin/chitosan derived sorbents act as chelators and binds with uranium by electrostatic attraction. Bio reduction employs a bacterial transformation into enzymes which immobilize and reduce uranium. Phytoremediation includes phytoextraction and phytotranslocation of uranium through xylems from soil to roots and shoots of plants. The highest uranium removal and uptake reported using the different methods are listed as follows: bioleaching (100% uranium recovery), biosorption (167 g kg⁻¹ uranium uptake), bioreduction (98.9% uranium recovery), and phytoremediation (49,639 mg kg⁻¹ uranium uptake). Among all the techniques mentioned above, bioleaching has been proved to be the most efficient for uranium remediation.

The composition of root exudates is modulated by several environmental factors, and it remains unclear how that affects beneficial rhizosphere or inoculated microorganisms under heavy metal (HM) contamination. Therefore, we evaluated the transcriptional response of Pseudomonas putida E36 (a Miscanthus x giganteus isolate with plant growth promotion-related properties) to Cd, Pb and Zn in an in vitro study implementing root exudates from M. x giganteus. To collect root exudates and analyse their composition plants were grown in a pot experiment under HM and control conditions. Our results indicated higher exudation rate for plants challenged with HM. Further, out of 29 organic acids identified and quantified in the root exudates, 8 of them were significantly influenced by HM (e.g., salicylic and terephthalic acid). The transcriptional response of P. putida E36 was significantly affected by the HM addition to the growth medium, increasing the expression of several efflux pumps and stress response-related functional units. The additional supplementation of the growth medium with root exudates from HM-challenged plants resulted in a downregulation of 29% of the functional units upregulated in P. putida E36 as a result of HM addition to the growth medium. Surprisingly, root exudates + HM downregulated the expression of P. putida E36 functional units related to plant colonization (e.g., chemotaxis, motility, biofilm formation) but upregulated its antibiotic and biocide resistance compared to the control treatment without HM. Our findings suggest that HM-induced changes in root exudation pattern may attract beneficial bacteria that are in turn awarded with organic nutrients, helping them cope with HM stress. However, it might affect the ability of these bacteria to colonize plants growing in HM polluted areas. Those findings may offer an insight for future in vivo studies contributing to improvements in phytoremediation measures.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant rhizosphere microbes reportedly enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stresses and promote plant growth in contaminated soils. The co-contamination of soil by heavy metals (e.g., Cd) and rare earth elements (e.g., La) represents a severe environmental problem. Although the influence of AMF in the phytoremediation of contaminated soils is well documented, the underlying interactive mechanisms between AMF and rhizosphere microbes are still unclear. We conducted a greenhouse pot experiment to evaluate the effects of AMF (Claroideoglomus etunicatum) on maize growth, nutrient and metal uptake, rhizosphere microbial community, and functional genes in soils with separate and combined applications of Cd and La. The purpose of this experiment was to explore the mechanism of AMF affecting plant growth and metal uptake via interactions with rhizosphere microbes. We found that C. etunicatum (i) significantly enhanced plant nutritional level and biomass and decreased metal concentration in the co-contaminated soil; (ii) significantly altered the structure of maize rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities; (iii) strongly enriched the abundance of carbohydrate metabolism genes, ammonia and nitrate production genes, IAA (indole-3-acetic acid) and ACC deaminase (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate) genes, and slightly altered the abundance of P-related functional genes; (iv) regulated the abundance of microbial quorum sensing system and metal membrane transporter genes, thereby improving the stability and adaptability of the rhizosphere microbial community. This study provides evidence of AMF improving plant growth and resistance to Cd and La stresses by regulating plant rhizosphere microbial communities and aids our understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

The coexistence of di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), Cd, and Zn poses a serious challenge to soil ecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate the phytoremediation potential of rice assisted with a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) consortium for the remediation of DEHP, Cd, and Zn co-contaminated soil. The consortium consisted of four bacterial strains, all of which exhibited Cd–Zn resistance and DEHP degradability. The results showed that the rice assisted by the bacterial consortium dissipated 86.1% DEHP while removing 76.0% Cd²⁺ and 92.2% Zn²⁺ from soil within 30 d. The presence of the PGPR consortium promoted plant growth and improved soil enzymatic activity, which may have helped enhance the removal of DEHP and heavy metals from the soil. Moreover, the application of the consortium modified the bacterial community and increased the relative abundance of bacteria related to DEHP degradation (Sphingomonas, Xanthobacteraceae), heavy metal immobilization (Massilia), and soil nutrient cycling (Nitrospira, Vicinamibacterales), which promoted plant growth and the removal of DEHP and heavy metals from soil. Notably, the DEHP and heavy metal contents in rice decreased substantially during the phytoremediation process. Therefore, the PGPR consortium could be beneficial for enhancing the removal of DEHP and heavy metals from the soil, without inducing the accumulation of these pollutants in rice. In general, this study confirmed that the combined use of rice and the PGPR consortium could remedy DEHP and heavy metal co-contaminated soil economically and ecologically without simultaneously posing risks for rice consumption.

The development of urbanised areas together with the growing transport infrastructure and traffic volume are the main cause of air quality deterioration due to the increasing concentrations of particulate matter. Dust pollution is a threat to human health. It can cause the development of lung, larynx or circulatory system cancer. Due to the ability to accumulate dust particles on the leaf surface, the contribution of trees in the process of phytoremediation of air pollution has started to be appreciated. An analysis of the elemental composition of particulate matter (PM) stored on the leaves surface was also carried out, which showed high average concentration of: C > O > Si > Fe (above 8wt.%). It was also observed single particles with a high concentration of heavy metals: Ti, Mn, Ba, Zn, Cr, Pb, Sn, Ni and REE (rare earth elements). The major origin of PM are vehicular emissions, soil and re-suspended road dust. This paper presents also a comparison of selected tree, shrub and vine species differing in their ability to accumulate particulate matter. It was experimentally determined the average leaf surface of individual plant species and established the amount of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter between 10 and 100 μm, 2.5 and 10 μm, and 0.2 and 2.5 μm deposited on the leaf surface and in waxes.Some species of vines (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), shrubs (Forsythia x intermediata) and coniferous trees, such as Betula pendula ‘Youngii’, Quercus rubra, Cratageus monogyna, Acer pseduoplatanus, Tilia cordata Mill. or Platanus orientalis turned out to be the most efficient in the process of phylloremediation.

(S,S)-ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) has a strong capacity to mobilize potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in phytoextraction. It can release NH₄⁺-N via biodegradation, which can enhance N supply to soil thereafter promote plant growth and plant resistance to PTEs. However, the advanced feature of released N in the EDDS-enhanced phytoextraction remains unclear. In the current study, the effects of N supply released from EDDS on ryegrass phytoextraction and plant resistance to PTEs were investigated in detail by a comparison with urea. Our results supported that the addition of both EDDS and urea increased N concentration in soil solution, yet EDDS needed more time to release available N for plant uptake and transported more N from root to shoot. Additionally, EDDS significantly increased the concentration of all targeted PTEs, i.e. Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb, in the soil solution, which results in higher levels of their occurrence in plant biomass compared with urea. By contrast, the supply of N slightly enhanced the ryegrass uptake of micro-nutrients, i.e. Cu and Zn, yet it caused negligible effects on nonessential elements, i.e. Cd and Pb. The mobilized PTEs by EDDS lead to elevated oxidative stress because higher levels of malondialdehyde and O₂•⁻ were observed. The supply of N attenuated oxidative stress caused by O₂•⁻ and H₂O₂, which was associated with enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. Our results advanced the understanding of the exogenous N supply and metal resistance mechanisms in the EDDS-enhanced phytoextraction. This study also highlighted that EDDS can serve as a N source to ease N-deficient problems in PTEs-contaminated soils.

Inoculation of soil or seeds with plant growth promoting bacteria ameliorates metal toxicity to plants by changing metal speciation in plant tissues but the exact location of these changes remains unknown. Knowing where the changes occur is a critical first step to establish whether metal speciation changes are driven by microbial metabolism or by plant responses. Since bacteria concentrate in the rhizosphere, we hypothesised steep changes in metal speciation across the rhizosphere. We tested this by comparing speciation of zinc (Zn) in roots of Brassica juncea plants grown in soil contaminated with 600 mg kg⁻¹ of Zn with that of bulk and rhizospheric soil using synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Seeds were either uninoculated or inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii and Zn was supplied in the form of sulfide (ZnS nanoparticles) and sulfate (ZnSO₄). Consistent with previous studies, Zn toxicity, as assessed by plant growth parameters, was alleviated in B. juncea inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum. XAS results showed that in both ZnS and ZnSO₄ treatments, the most significant changes in speciation occurred between the rhizosphere and the root, and involved an increase in the proportion of organic acids and thiol complexes. In ZnS treatments, Zn phytate and Zn citrate were the dominant organic acid complexes, whilst Zn histidine also appeared in roots exposed to ZnSO₄. Inoculation with bacteria was associated with the appearance of Zn cysteine and Zn formate in roots, suggesting that these two forms are driven by bacterial metabolism. In contrast, Zn complexation with phytate, citrate and histidine is attributed to plant responses, perhaps in the form of exudates, some with long range influence into the bulk soil, leading to shallower speciation gradients.