Pressmud Subdue Phytoremediation Indices in Lead-Contaminated Soils: A Human Health Perspective

In this study, graded levels of pressmud (0, 2.5, 5, 10 g/kg) were applied on lead imposed soil with different contamination levels (0, 100, 150, 300 mg/kg) and metal dynamics was studied in spinach crop. Experimental results showed that the addition of pressmud upto 10 mg/kg had decreased different phytoremediation indices in spinach crop. Whereas, increasing Pb level enhanced the indices' values, indicating accumulation of significant amount of Pb in spinach biomass. However, application of pressmud (upto 10 mg/kg) reduced the bioconcentration factor (BCF) from 0.182 to 0.136, transfer factor (TF) from 0.221 to 0.191, translocation efficiency 66.11-59.34%; whereas, Pb removal enhanced from 0.063 to 0.072 over control treatment. These findings suggest that application of pressmud declined Pb concentration, the BCF and the TF in test crop which lead to less chances of adverse effect in human. These information are very useful for effectively managing wastewater irrigated agricultural crop production systems.PMID:38127121 | DOI:10.1007/s00128-023-03848-9
Source: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: research