Evaluation of the Miscanthus × giganteus short term impacts on enhancing the quality of agricultural soils affected by single and/or multiple contaminants

Abstract

Miscanthus × giganteus proved good phytostabilization potentials in heavy metals-contaminated soils. However, the coexistence of multiple pollutants (heavy metals and organic) in soil is very common and renders remediation more complicated. The aim of the current work was to investigate the impacts of miscanthus crop on enhancing the health and quality of agricultural soils contaminated by single (heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and total petroleum hydrocarbons) and/or multiple pollutants. Ex situ experiment was established by cultivating miscanthus in soils spiked by gradient concentrations of single and/or multiple contaminants. The experiment lasted for a period of 5 months, which corresponds to a complete miscanthus growing season. The results demonstrated high plant resistance and growth yields against the various contaminants, as well as a remarkable decrease in metals availability and organic pollutants concentrations in the cultivated soils. In addition, miscanthus plants boosted the soil biological parameters (acid phosphatase, laccase, urease, basal respiration, fluorescein diacetate hydrolytic activity and microbial biomass). This outcome confirms the crop’s capacity to proliferate well and enhance the quality of agricultural soils polluted by single/multiple contaminants. However, these results should be validated under real contaminated field conditions.