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Uptake and distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cultivated plants around an E-waste disposal site in Southern China

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Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air, soil, and cultivated plants at e-waste disposal sites in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, were determined to allow PAH uptake by and distributions in plants to be investigated. The PAH distributions in air, rhizosphere soil, and surface soil were markedly different. This indicated that root morphology variations and root exudates may affect PAH compositions in soil around plants. The PAH concentrations in the plant samples were 29.7–2170 ng/g. The lowest PAH concentration was found in a peeled taproot sample. The PAH concentration gradients from the plant shoots to roots suggested that PAHs entered the plants through various pathways. The three- and four-ring PAHs were found to be absorbed more readily than the higher-molecular-weight (five- and six-ring) PAHs. This indicated that high-molecular-weight PAHs in soil can be prevented from entering plants, particularly taproots, via root exudates and the root peel. For most plants, the highest PAH concentrations were found in leaves, indicating that atmospheric deposition may strongly affect PAH concentrations in aerial plant parts. High-molecular-weight PAHs are more readily absorbed from ambient air by leaves than other parts. Lower PAH concentrations were found in fruits than other plant parts. This and the differences in PAH distributions between fruits and other aerial parts indicated that PAHs may be selectively absorbed by fruits.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Collaborative Innovation Center for Ethnic Minority Development of Minzu University of China [grant number 0910KYQN50], the Fundamcds for the Central Universities [grant numbers 2015MDTD23C], and the Institution of Higher Education Innovation Talent Recruitment Program (111 Program) [grant number B08044].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, No. 27, South Road, Zhongguancun, Haidian District, Beijing, 100081, China

    Baokai Wei, Chen Liu, Junsong Bao, Ying Wang, Jicheng Hu, Min Qi & Jun Jin

  2. Engineering Research Center of Food Environment and Public Health, Beijing, 100081, China

    Jun Jin

  3. Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science, Beijing, 100012, China

    Yongjie Wei

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  1. Baokai Wei
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  2. Chen Liu
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  7. Jun Jin
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Correspondence to Jun Jin.

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Responsible Editor: Gangrong Shi

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Wei, B., Liu, C., Bao, J. et al. Uptake and distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cultivated plants around an E-waste disposal site in Southern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 2696–2706 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10642-1

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