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Enhanced phytoremediation of uranium-contaminated soils by Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) using slow release citric acid

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Abstract

In this study, a novel slow release carrier for the controlled release of citric acid (CA), hydroxypropyl chitosan-graft-carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCS-g-CMCD) was synthesized by the grafting reaction of carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CMCD) with hydroxypropyl chitosan (HPCS), and the structural characteristics of HPCS-g-CMCD were confirmed by FT-IR, TGA, and NMR. Based on HPCS-g-CMCD and CA, slow release citric acid (SRCA) was prepared by a spray drying method. HPCS-g-CMCD carrier has a better slow release performance for CA compared to HPCS and CMCD, and CA release mechanism was attributed to a Fickian diffusion. Furthermore, the release behavior of uranium in contaminated soil could be effectively controlled by SRCA. The effects of SRCA on improving the phytoremediation capacity in uranium-contaminated soil were investigated using Brassica juncea, which were grown in pots containing soil with uranium at 56 mg kg−1. After 50 days of growth, 5 mmol kg−1 of CA, SRCA I, SRCA II, and SRCA III was applied, respectively. The results showed that slow release citric acid could enhance the uptake of uranium in Indian mustard. Uranium concentration in the root with SRCA I treatment was increased by 80.25% compared to the control, and the uranium removal efficiency of the SRCA I treatment was 1.66-fold greater than that of the control. Simultaneously, the leaching loss of uranium in SRCA I-treated soil was decreased by 37.35% compared to CA-treated soil. As a promising remediation strategy, SRCA-assisted phytoremediation may provide a kind of feasible technology with low leaching risk for remediation of uranium-contaminated soils.

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All data generated or analyzed during the current study are included in this published article.

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Funding

This work was financed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41761069) and Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (20181ACB20004, 20202BABL203027).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, PR, China

    Guanghui Wang, Bing Wang & Wenzhe Fan

  2. School of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, PR, China

    Guanghui Wang

  3. School of Resources and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430079, China

    Nansheng Deng

Authors
  1. Guanghui Wang
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  2. Bing Wang
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  3. Wenzhe Fan
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  4. Nansheng Deng
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Bing Wang and Wenzhe Fan. The supervision, discussion of results, and suggestion of the research point were performed by prof. Guanghui Wang and prof. Nansheng Deng. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Guanghui Wang. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Guanghui Wang.

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Wang, G., Wang, B., Fan, W. et al. Enhanced phytoremediation of uranium-contaminated soils by Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) using slow release citric acid. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 61061–61071 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14964-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14964-6

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