Small structures with big impact: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes enhanced remediation efficiency in hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. under cadmium and arsenic stress

Xunfeng Chen; Juncai Wang; Kashif Hayat; Dan Zhang; Pei Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130130

Small structures with big impact: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes enhanced remediation efficiency in hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. under cadmium and arsenic stress

Chemosphere. 2021 Aug:276:130130. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130130. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

Authors

Xunfeng Chen¹, Juncai Wang², Kashif Hayat², Dan Zhang³, Pei Zhou⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China. Electronic address: chenxunfeng@sjtu.edu.cn.
² School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
³ School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China. Electronic address: zhdsjtu@sjtu.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China. Electronic address: peizhousjtu@163.com.

PMID: 33690041
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130130

Abstract

With the fast development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials are being increasingly applied for the remediation of contaminated soils. However, few researches have been reported on the complex interactions of carbon nanotubes with heavy metal (loid)s in phytoremediation. Here, we conduct a pot experiment to investigate the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the plant growth and behavior of heavy metal (loid)s in hyperaccumulator-soil system. Cd hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. (S. nigrum) were cultivated in Cadmium (Cd) and Arsenic (As) contaminated soils amended with MWCNTs at 100, 500, and 1000 mg kg^-1 for 60 days, respectively. The application of MWCNTs increased the shoot length and plant dry biomass by 5.56%∼25.13% and 5.23%∼27.97%. Whereas, root and leaf growth were inhibited in 1000 mg kg^-1 MWCNTs treatments. Meanwhile, MWCNTs at 500 mg kg^-1 significantly enhanced the accumulation of heavy metal (loid)s in S. nigrum（18.29% for Cd and 32.47% for As）and alleviated co-contamination induced toxicity, by motivating plant growth, stimulating antioxidant enzymatic activities, and increasing micronutrient content (p < 0.05). The bio-concentration factor of As was decreased (15.31-28.08%) under MWCNTs application, which plays an important role in the alleviation of phytotoxicity. Besides, bioavailable Cd and As were reduced in rhizosphere soils, and the most significant reduction (16.29% for Cd and 8.19% for As) were shown in 500 mg kg^-1 MWCNTs treatment. These findings demonstrate that suitable concentration of MWCNTs can enhance remediation efficiency. Our study gives a strong evidence to promote the phytoremediation for co-contaminated soils by using nanomaterials.

Keywords: Arsenic; Cadmium; Carbon nanomaterials; Phytoremediation; Solanum nigrum L.

MeSH terms

Arsenic*
Biodegradation, Environmental
Cadmium / analysis
Cadmium / toxicity
Nanotubes, Carbon* / toxicity
Soil
Soil Pollutants* / analysis
Soil Pollutants* / toxicity
Solanum nigrum*

Substances

Nanotubes, Carbon
Soil
Soil Pollutants
Cadmium
Arsenic