Bioremediation and Phytoremediation Technologies in Sustainable Soil Management

Volume 3: Inventive Techniques, Research Methods, and Case Studies

Junaid Ahmad Malik, Megh R. Goyal

• Publisher: Apple Academic Press
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781774639870
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000570946
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Biology
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Phytoremediation has evolved into an important tool to improve the bioremediation process since it is an innovative green technology that uses a wide variety of plants to remediate radioactive metals and elements, organics, and chemicals from soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater environmental pollutants. Together, bioremediation and phytoremediation technologies provide an effective approach to contaminant abatement.

Volume 3 of the four-volume set identifies and draws a fresh image of existing developments in theoretical and functional implementation systems from recent scientific research studies that consider different facets of bioremediation. It also discusses the latest technology and prospects of new soil bioremediation technology and analyzes their domains, along with their associated challenges and consequences.

Other volumes in the 4-volume set:
• Volume 1: Fundamental Aspects and Contaminated Sites
• Volume 2: Microbial Approaches and Recent Trends
• Volume 4: Degradation of Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Together, these four volumes provide in-depth coverage of the mechanisms, advantages, and disadvantages of the bioremediation and phytoremediation technologies for safe and sustainable soil management. The diverse topics help to arm biologists, agricultural engineers, environmental and soil scientists and chemists with the information and tools they need to address soil toxins that are a dangerous risk to plants, wildlife, humans and, of course, the soil itself.

PART I Potential of Plants in Green Remediation

CHAPTER 1 BIOREMEDIATION POTENTIAL OF PTERIDOPHYTES

SONIA SHARMA and SUSHANT SHARMA

ABSTRACT

Water and soil pollution by high dose of metals is becoming a common trouble globally which needs to be addressed. This pollution is a combined result of modern agricultural practices, mining, and industrial processes. Living beings are very susceptible to this type of contamination by heavy metals (HMs). Many conventional methods are there, but they are very costly and time consuming, while phytoremediation process is cost effective and ecofriendly. Many plant accumulators/hyperaccumulators have been known to remediate contaminated soil with toxic metals. Among plants, pteridophytes have unique characteristics of toxicant adaptation. Pteridophytes are known to accumulate HMs such as cadmium, nickel, and copper. In this chapter, phytoremediation potential of pteridophytes focuses on different methods of phytoremediation which include adaptive mechanisms and genetic, ecological strategies of ferns are discussed.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Environment pollution has increased many health issues that were not known till industrial revolution. Development in scientific area has resulted in different types of pollution that are harmful to all living beings. Emission from vehicles plays an important role in increasing the level of air pollution. Excessive use of resources and unawareness of harmful impacts of this, has led to many environment problems such as metal contamination, increased health problem in living beings, environmental pollution, and threat to biodiversity [73]. Excessive amount of heavy metal (HM) in soil and water becomes an environmental problem at global level. Mining, military, and industrial activities are the main source of adding HMs to the environment. Industries of ceramic, metal plating, glass making, paint, and battery manufacturing, etc., discharge untreated effluents in soil and water [35]. In agriculture, use of pesticides and fertilizers on large scale has also played major role in pollution.

HMs in adequate amounts and within permissible limits are essential for the growth and development of plants and animals, but become toxic for living beings if exceeds limit [44]. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorized HMs in three different categories. The first category is ‘carcinogenic’ which consists of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and their compounds. The second category is ‘probably carcinogenic’ which include cobalt with tungsten carbide and lead compound and third category is ‘possible carcinogenic’ which consists of nickel (compounds and alloys), cobalt sulfate and lead [11]. Contaminated soil and water with HMs may cause diseases related to nose, mouth, eyes, and even cancer. Therefore, there is a vital need for the elimination of HMs from the soil and water.

Many conventional methods such as membrane technologies, ion exchange, chemical precipitation, coagulation, and adsorption are applied for the removal of HMs in industries. These methods have many disadvantages such as high chemical consumption, sludge formation, high cost and mode of disposal. In order to replace conventional techniques, ways of remediation should be promoted. In metal polluted land, various plants are identified as the accumulators/hyperaccumulators for different HMs. Nowadays, phytoremediation is in demand due to ecofriendly nature and low cost. Among major plant groups, pteridophytes have emerged as one of the best candidates with phytoremediation potential to remediate various toxicants [45]. This important character of pteridophytes is being used for cleaning environment by sequestration of harmful compounds.

This chapter explores the phytoremediation potential of pteridophytes for various toxicants in environment.

1.2 PHYTOREMEDIATION

Phytoremediation is the method to remove toxic metal/substances from the environment by employing plants [37]. Many other related techniques are getting attention due to many applications in the removal of toxic HMs from agricultural and industrial effluents. Phytoremediation is a complex process where toxicants or HMs go through chemical (redox) reactions for the conversion of complex compounds to simple ones. Simple form of contaminants gets either volatilized in atmosphere or is stored within plant vacuoles [49]. Phytoremediation includes various techniques namely phytoextraction, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization, and rhizofiltration. Phytoextraction is the method of translocation of contaminants from soil through root to shoot, whereas phytostabilization is a technique used to reduce the mobility of pollutants in soil, phytovolatilization involve foliar system of plants to absorb pollutant and release to atmosphere and in rhizofiltration, the roots of plants absorb or adsorb toxicants from soil.

Bioaccumulation is defined as the use of active living cells to remove metals from the soil and water. According to Fomina and Gadd [17], biosorption is the process of uptake of HMs by inactivated organisms. Plants known for this activity are classified into two groups, i.e., accumulators, which can accumulate contaminants to a level, that plant remains unaffected and hyper-accumulator plants can accumulate above 1,000 mg/kg dry weight of toxi-cants [51]. In the literature, it has been reported that more than 450 species/ varieties belonging to 45 families of plants are used as hyperaccumulators for the removal of HMs [27, 56]. Of total varieties, 318 are hypoaccumulators specifically for nickel metal [22, 27] and among them many varieties are potential phytoremediators. Pandey and Bajpai [41] described the term ‘phytomanagement’ and this concept is better than phytoremediation as it is less time consuming. Nowadays, aromatic plants, energy releasing plants, fiber producing plants and ornamental plants are being suggested for phytoremediation method for both economic and environmental benefits [42]. Praveen et al. [47, 48] observed reduction in arsenic uptake in crop growing with accumulators (Pteris sp.) thus having safe grains.

1.3 PTERIDOPHYTES AND THEIR POTENTIAL FEATURES

Pteridophytes are most primitive herbaceous vascular plants of Paleozoic and Mesozoic Era [74]. A fern, or pteridophyte is any one of a group of plants classified in the division ‘Pteridophyta,’ formerly known as ‘Filicophyta.’ Ferns are ecologically sound with high adaptability and diverse propagation and are the important part of plant evolution [7, 71] (Figure 1.1). Some species such as Hymenophyllum anguinolentum (Forst.) Sw. and Trichomanes speciosum Willd. have high adaptation to drought and can survive even in volcanic ashes [32, 72]. In some recent r...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• About the Book Series: Innovations in Agricultural and Biological Engineering
• Other Books on Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Apple Academic Press, Inc.
• About the Editors
• Table of Contents
• Contributors
• Abbreviations
• Preface
• Part I: Potential of Plants in Green Remediation
• Part II: Tools and Techniques for Bioremediation
• Part III: Remediation Techniques for Special Sites
• Index