Abstract
The phytoremediation technique has been demonstrated to be a viable option for the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminated sites. This study evaluated the potential applicability of plants with C3 and C4 carbon fixation pathways for the phytoremediation of recalcitrant high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs contaminated soil. A 60 and 120-day greenhouse study was conducted which showed higher degradation of HMW PAHs in soil grown with C4 plants when compared to C3 plants. Also, no PAHs were detected in the maize cobs, sunflower, wallaby, and Sudan grass seeds at the end of the experiment. The effect of plants in modifying the microbial community and dynamics in the rhizosphere was also examined by measuring soil biochemical properties such as dehydrogenase activity and water-soluble phenols. The results demonstrate a substantial difference in the microbial populations between planted and unplanted soils, which in turn facilitate the degradation of PAHs. To the best of our knowledge, this study for the first time evaluated the phytoremediation efficacy through the A. cepa cyto- and genotoxicity assay which should be considered as an integral part of all remediation experiments.