Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), a main ingredient of brominated flame retardants, has drawn more and more attention because of the pollution it caused in sediment. A pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to investigate the impact of Brevibacillus brevis and Enterococcus casselifavus on the enhancement of phytoremediation by Thalia dealbata, which is common in the river bank and was found to be an effective plant for BDE-209 removal. The concentration of organic acids, the amount of microorganisms and the ability of carbon utilization of soil microorganisms in different experimental groups were analyzed. The results showed that the removal rate of BDE-209 in the exogenous microbes containing groups were higher than that of the control. And B. brevis presented the highest enhancement of phytoremediation with the removal rate rising highest to 66% compared with the control (non-rhizosphere group 37.93% and no plant group 39.27%) after 60 days. The removal of BDE-209 in sediment, quantity of microorganism, concentration of organic acids and the ability of carbon utilization of soil microorganisms in rhizosphere sediment were higher than those in non-rhizosphere sediment.
Keywords: bioremediation; decabromodiphenyl ether; microorganisms; plant.