Identifying the functional groups and the influence of synthetic chelators on Cd availability and microbial biomass carbon in Cd-contaminated soil

• Published in: International journal of phytoremediation Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 168 - 174
• Main Authors: Chhajro, Muhammad Afzal, Fu, Qingling, Shaaban, Muhammad, Rizwan, Muhammad Shahid, Jun, Zhu, Salam, Abdus, Kubar, Kashif Ali, Bashir, Saqib, Hongqing, Hu, Jamro, Ghulam Murtaza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 28.01.2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Ammonium; Bioavailability; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biomass; Cadmium; Cadmium - metabolism; Carbon; Cd-contaminated soil; Chelating Agents; Chelation; Citric Acid; Dissolved organic carbon; Edetic Acid; Fourier transforms; Functional groups; Heavy metals; Infrared analysis; Metals, Heavy; microbial biomass dissolved organic carbon; Microorganisms; Plants; Ricinus; Sediment pollution; Soil conditions; Soil contamination; Soil investigations; Soil Microbiology; Soil Pollutants - metabolism; Soil pollution; Soils; Sustainability; Sustainable agriculture; microbial biomass dissolved organic carbon; Cd-contaminated soil; chelating agents
• ISSN: 1522-6514; 1549-7879
• DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2017.1337412

Synthetic chelators play an important role in boosting the microbial biomass carbon (MBC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and heavy metal solubility in a contaminated soil toward a sustainability of environment for agricultural crops. Castor plant was grown under different levels of Cd contaminated soil (−Cd and +Cd) following adding three chelating agents, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (H 4 EDTA), nitriloacetic acid (H 3 NTA), and NH 4 citrate (ammonium citrate) to the soil at rates of 10, 15, and 25 mmol in 5 kg of soil per pot. The highest bioavailable Cd concentrations in soil and castor plant were obtained from NH 4 citrate and H 4 EDTA treatments in the contaminated soil. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed that NH 4 citrate was the most effective chelator in Cd-contaminated soil. MBC and DOC contents were significantly increased and reached at 81.98-80.37 and 1.96-1.90 mg kg −1 respectively, in the (H 3 NTA) and NH 4 citrate treatments in Cd-contaminated soil. Further research is needed to investigate the use of chelators in the phytoextraction of Cd-contaminated soils under field conditions and whether it may be beneficial in accelerating the phytoextraction of Cd through hyperaccumulating plants.