Partition uptake of a brominated diphenyl ether by the edible plant root of white radish (Raphanus sativus L.)

- BDE-3 was taken into white radish under hydroponics, sand, and soil systems.
- BDE-3 concentration in plants: fibrous roots > peels > main roots > leaves.
- The uptake amounts by the plant: hydroponics > silica sand > soil.
- Quasi-equilibrium factors developed by partition-limited model for BDE-3 uptake.
- Uptake parameters help to estimate the equilibrium of BDE-3 in soil-plant system.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are of a class of emerging contaminants. In this study, the accumulation of 4-bromodiphenyl ether (BDE-3) by different parts of a live white radish was investigated. Different cultural media (hydroponics, silica sand, and soil) were used to sustain the radish plant during its uptake and in-plant translocation of BDE-3. The results showed that BDE-3 can be translocated from the roots to the aboveground organs and the accumulated levels of BDE-3 in different parts of the white radish followed the order for the three types of cultivation: fibrous roots > peels > main roots > leaves. The results were analyzed by the aid of the partition-limited model for the plant uptake. The relevant partition coefficients (KOC and Kd) and uptake parameters of BDE-3 with plant components (Kpt and Klip) were obtained for analyzing the BDE-3 distribution. The partition-limited model offers a significant insight into the uptakes of BDE-3 by the various components of live white radishes. The types of cultivation affected the total sorption level, translocation factors (TFs), extent to equilibrium (αpt), and root concentration factors (RCFs).

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