Poplar-Assisted Bioremediation for Recovering a PCB and Heavy-Metal-Contaminated Area

Valeria Ancona, Ida Rascio, Giorgia Aimola, Claudia Campanale, Paola Grenni, Martina Di Lenola, Gian Luigi Garbini, Vito Felice Uricchio and Anna Barra Caracciolo
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Valeria Ancona: National Research Council, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), Viale Francesco de Blasio, 5, 70132 Bari, Italy
Ida Rascio: National Research Council, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), Viale Francesco de Blasio, 5, 70132 Bari, Italy
Giorgia Aimola: National Research Council, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), Viale Francesco de Blasio, 5, 70132 Bari, Italy
Claudia Campanale: National Research Council, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), Viale Francesco de Blasio, 5, 70132 Bari, Italy
Paola Grenni: National Research Council, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), Area della Ricerca RM1, Monterotondo, 00015 Rome, Italy
Martina Di Lenola: National Research Council, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), Area della Ricerca RM1, Monterotondo, 00015 Rome, Italy
Gian Luigi Garbini: National Research Council, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), Area della Ricerca RM1, Monterotondo, 00015 Rome, Italy
Vito Felice Uricchio: National Research Council, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), Viale Francesco de Blasio, 5, 70132 Bari, Italy
Anna Barra Caracciolo: National Research Council, Water Research Institute (IRSA-CNR), Area della Ricerca RM1, Monterotondo, 00015 Rome, Italy

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: A Monviso clone has been applied to promote PCB degradation in a soil historically contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals (HMs). The multi-contaminated area is located in Southern Italy. PCBs, HMs, and the soil microbial community (abundance, viability, and structure) were analysed in selected plots of the poplar-treated area. At 900 days after poplar planting, chemical analyses showed that PCBs and most of HMs diminished under the Italian legal limits. The overall results suggest that the poplar clone was effective in promoting PCB rhizodegradation and HM phytostabilization. Organic carbon content increased strongly in the rhizosphere of the planted plots. Microbiological results highlighted an overall increase in microbial abundance, cell viability, and the presence of bacterial groups involved in PCB degradation. The poplar-based bioremediation technology is a nature-based solution able to promote the recovery of soil quality in terms of contaminant removal, increase in organic carbon, and stimulation of autochthonous bacterial groups able to transform PCBs.

Keywords: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); heavy metals (HMs); poplar; plant-assisted bioremediation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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