Potential of Vetiveria zizanoides L. Nash for phytoremediation of plutonium (239Pu): Chelate assisted uptake and translocation

• We report on the use of Vetiver grass for the remediation of 239Pu from soil.
• Translocation of 239Pu to the shoots of plants was enhanced with chelators.
• Vetiver is a potential plant for phytoremediation of 239Pu.

Plants have demonstrated a great potential to remove toxic elements from soils and solutions and been successfully used for phytoremediation of important radionuclides. Uptake potential of vetiver plants (V. zizanoides) for the remediation of 239Pu in hydroponic and soil conditions was studied in the present work. High efficiency of V. zizanoides for the removal of 239Pu was recorded with 66.2% being removed from the hydroponic solution after 30 days. However, remediation of 239Pu from soil was limited. Remediation of 239Pu from soil was increased with the addition of chelating agents citric acid (CA) and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA). Accumulation of 239Pu was recorded higher in roots than shoots, however its translocation from roots to shoots increased in the presence of chelators in hydroponic as well as soil conditions. DTPA was found more effective than CA showing higher translocation index (TI). Increase in TI was observed 8 and 6 times in the solution and soil respectively when plants were exposed to 239Pu-DTPA in comparison to only 239Pu. The present study demonstrates that V. zizanoides plant is a potential plant for phytoremediation of 239Pu.