title: Comparative bioremediation of heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons co-contaminated soil by natural attenuation, phytoremediation, bioaugmentation and bioaugmentation-assisted phytoremediation.
abstract: Biological remediation technologies are an environmentally friendly approach for the treatment of polluted soils. This study evaluated through a pot experiment four bioremediation strategies: a) natural attenuation, b) phytoremediation with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), c) bioaugmentation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and d) bioaugmentation-assisted phytoremediation, for the treatment of a co-contaminated soil presenting moderate levels of heavy metals (Cu, Pb and Zn at 87, 100 and 110mgkg(-1) DW, respectively) and petroleum hydrocarbons (3800mgkg(-1) DW). As demonstrated by plant biomass and selected physiological parameters alfalfa plants were able to tolerate and grow in the co-contaminated soil, especially when soil was inoculated with P. aeruginosa, which promoted plant growth (56% and 105% increase for shoots and roots, respectively) and appeared to alleviate plant stress. The content of heavy metals in alfalfa plants was limited and followed the order: Zn>Cu>Pb. Heavy metals were mainly concentrated in plant roots and were poorly translocated, favouring their stabilization in the root zone. Bioaugmentation of planted soil with P. aeruginosa generally led to a decrease of plant metal concentration and translocation. The highest degree of total petroleum hydrocarbon removal was obtained for bioaugmentation-assisted phytoremediation treatment (68%), followed by bioaugmentation (59%), phytoremediation (47%) and natural attenuation (37%). The results of this study demonstrated that the combined use of plant and bacteria was the most advantageous option for the treatment of the present co-contaminated soil, as compared to natural attenuation, bioaugmentation or phytoremediation applied alone.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement (EA 4508), UPEM, 77454 Marne-la-Vallée, France; Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Meccanica, via Di Biasio 43, 03043 Cassino, FR, Italy.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Agnello
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est Créteil, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris UMR 1392, Équipe Interactions plantes-environnement, Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagard
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement (EA 4508), UPEM, 77454 Marne-la-Vallée, France.
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: van Hullebusch
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Meccanica, via Di Biasio 43, 03043 Cassino, FR, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement (EA 4508), UPEM, 77454 Marne-la-Vallée, France. Electronic address: david.huguenot@u-pem.fr.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huguenot
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000378:metabolism*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism*; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Bioaugmentation; Co-contamination; Heavy metals; Natural attenuation; Petroleum hydrocarbons; Phytoremediation