Degradation of Diesel Pollutants in Huangpu-Yangtze River Estuary Wetland using a Plant-Microbes System

The diesel contaminants in the sediments of Huangpu-Yangtze River estuary (HYRE) affect the ecological environment seriously. The diesel degradation of four species of indigenous plants, Scirpus triqueter (Scirpus tripueter L.; STL), reed (Phragmites australis; PA), Herba Caricis Phacotae (Carex phacota Spr.; CPS) and Sagittaria sagittifolia (Sagittaria sagittifolia L.; SSL), and hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms (HDMs) isolated from the HYRE wetland were evaluated with the simulation experiment. The pot experiments were executed to investigate the decontaminating potential of the four plants species with HDMs, called PA-Ms, STL-Ms, SSL-Ms and CPS-Ms respectively. It showed that diesel amount were decreased about 76-80% (at 15 000 mg/kg diesel level) respectively under the co-activation action of PA, STL, SSL and CPS with HDMs in the 60d experiment. The four plants with HDMs could degrade paraffins components which have high diesel indices in the diesel components, especially STL- Ms, CPS-Ms and SSL-Ms. The wetland plants with HDMs showed a marked capability to degrade diesel.