TITLE:
Phytoremediation of Oil-Contaminated Soils by Combining Flowering Plant Cultivation and Inoculation with Acinetobacter junii Strain M-2
AUTHORS:
Takamitsu Kai, Yu Okamoto, Shuichiro Murakami, Masahiko Tamaki
KEYWORDS:
Phytoremediation, Zinnia, Acinetobacter junii Strain M-2, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon, Dehydrogenase Activity
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Agricultural Chemistry and Environment,
Vol.9 No.3,
August
12,
2020
ABSTRACT: Oil contamination of the soil by petroleum products has become an
enormous environmental problem. In this study, we examined whether remediation
of oil-contaminated soils by cultivating three flowering plants (Mimosa,
Gazania, and Zinnia) could be enhanced by inoculation with Acinetobacter junii strain M-2 at different plant growth stages (at
sowing, at early growth, and at mid-growth). The growth of Zinnia cultivated in
oil-contaminated soils inoculated at sowing was significantly superior to that
in the non-inoculated soil. Although total petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations
in soils inoculated at sowing were nominally lower than those in non-inoculated
soils, especially in the case of Zinnia planting, the effect did not reach
statistical significance. However, dehydrogenase activity was significantly
higher in the soils inoculated with A. junii strain M-2 than in
non-inoculated soils for all three plant species tested. These results
demonstrate that a combination of ornamental plant cultivation (particularly
Zinnia) and inoculation with A. junii strain M-2 increases the efficiency of oil-contaminated soil phytoremediation.