Enriched Plants Research Articles

Use of Vegetable Mixture and Decoction of Some Vitamin C enriched Plants to Manage Hypertension in Jos, Nigeria: A Case Report

High blood pressure (HBP) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) globally. This contributes to increase in morbidity and mortality of humans. This case study aims to add to the contribution of life style and diet to the control and modulation of HBP hypertensive or normotensive individuals. This case has shown that BP was reduced from 142/92mmHg to 124/74mmHg in 1hr and to 116/64mmHg in 24hr after eating vegetable and fruits decoction mixture unlike the drugs used under this case that reduced BP from 137/90mmHg to 123/80mmHg in 1hr and increased to 142/92mmHg after 24hr. This important role of vegetable and fruit decoction in the modulation of BP in this case shows that Jos-Nigeria has potential vegetables and fruits that when harnessed as food can serve as herbal remedies for hypertension as a result of vitamin C enrichment.

Alleviating Cd Stress in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) through the Sodium Silicate Application

Sunflower has substantial potential for the remediation of heavy metals in soil, but its efficiency in Cd-contaminated soil is limited, with high concentrations of Cd causing stress in plants. Exogenous Si enhances plant tolerance to heavy metals, but the mechanism for enhancing the tolerance of oil sunflower under Cd stress is not known. In potting experiments, sunflowers were grown in soil with a Cd concentration of 11.8 mg/kg soil (the maximum value in the Zhundong coal mining area of Xinjiang) and five Si treatment levels (0, 50, 250, 500, and 1500 mg/kg soil). Exogenous Si improved sunflower development, gas exchange characteristics, and antioxidant enzyme activities in sunflower compared with the Cd-only control; exogenous Si application increased Cd concentrations in sunflower roots, stems, and leaves, and Cd was mainly concentrated in sunflower roots. Sunflower biomass increased by 13.83–114.18%, and gas exchange parameters increased by 16.95–36.03%, 30.06–66.82%, and 9.77–14.71%, respectively, as compared to the control. With the increase in sodium silicate concentrations, sunflower antioxidant enzyme activities increased by 8.81–150.28%, 91.35–351.55%, and 35.11–54.69%, respectively, and MDA content decreased by 3.34–25.14% as compared to Si0. Moreover, exogenous Si increased Cd uptake and minimized Cd stress in sunflowers at the seedling and blooming stages, and it potentially facilitated the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils through enriched plants such as sunflower, as well as contributing to the achievement of sustainable development of the soil environment.

Using Mn/Fe enriched-roots of P. Stratiotes to synthesize multi-metallic catalysts for activating peroxymonosulfate to degrade bisphenol A

Aquatic plants used for phyto-extracting toxic metals from water are often enriched in certain metals and recycling these metal-enriched plants will achieve the sustainable application of phytoremediation/phytoextraction technology. The present study systematically explores the potential recycling of Mn-enriched-roots of P. Stratiotes used in the treatment of electrolytic manganese residue leachates as catalysts for activating peroxymonosulfate [1] to degrade organics in water. The effects of heat treatment temperature and atmosphere on the catalyst activity were first investigated and the results indicate that catalyst prepared in air at 400 °C contains active Mn(IV) while Mn(IV) was not detected in the catalyst prepared in N2 at the same temperature, and thereby catalyst obtained in air under 400 °C (MF400) performs better catalytic activity in degrading bisphenol A (BPA). The removal of BPA was found to reach 99.9 % in the MF400/PMS system at 120 min. The BPA degradation pathways were inferred by density flooding calculations (DFT) and then confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled detection, indicating that the radical pathway depending on·OH, SO4− and·O2– is the mechanism for BPA degradation in the MF400/PMS system. The ECOSAR assessment reveals that most BPA degradation intermediates are less toxic than their parent molecule. This work provides a simple and effective way for recycling Mn/Fe enriched aquatic plants used in phytoextraction process.

Mercury speciation in selenium enriched wheat plants hydroponically exposed to mercury pollution

Mercury (Hg) pollution in agricultural soils and its potential pathway to the human food chain can pose a serious health concern. Understanding the pathway of Hg in plants and how the speciation may change upon interaction with other elements used for biofortification can be critical to assess the real implications for the final plant-based product. In that respect, selenium (Se) biofortification of crops grown in Se-poor soil regions is becoming a common practice to overcome Se deficient diets. Therefore, it is important to assess the interplay between these two elements since Se may form complexes with Hg reducing its bioavailability and toxicity. In this work, the speciation of Hg in wheat plants grown hydroponically under the presence of Hg (HgCl2) and biofortified with Se (selenite, selenate, or a 1:1 mixture of both) has been investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Hg L3-edge. The main Hg species found in wheat grains was the highly toxic methylmercury. It was found that the Se-biofortification of wheat did not prevent, in general, the Hg translocation to grains. Only the 1:1 mixture treatment seemed to have an effect in reducing the levels of Hg and the presence of methylmercury in grains.

Variation in physio-chemical attributes and WUE during growth and development of Pak choi (Brassica rapa L. subsp. chinensis L.) under different drip fertigation and mulching treatments

AbstractIn the modern era, nutraceutical properties of horticultural crops are indispensable to determine their adaptability to different agro-ecological regions. The present study exploits the potential of mulches (P: plastic mulch; S: straw mulch; N: No mulch) in relation to drip irrigation (I1: 100%, I2: 80%, I3: 60% of crop evapotranspiration (Etc)), and fertigation (F1: 100%, F2: 80%, F3: 60% of recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF): 125 kg N, 62.5 Kg P2O5, 62.5 kg K2O per ha) on Pak choi at three maturity stages in the North West region of India. Plant fresh weight was the highest at 55 days after transplanting (DAT); however, maximum soil plant analysis development (SPAD) values were registered at 45 DAT. Antioxidant activity, FRAP, DPPH, phenols, flavanols, total sugars, ascorbic acid, free amino acids, and irrigation water use efficiency were observed significantly higher in plants grown on plastic mulch at different levels of irrigation and fertigation. It is envisioned that Pak choi plants had the highest nutritional value at 45 DAT from plots mulched with silver-black, irrigated at 80% Etc, and fertigated at 100% RDF. The nutrient enriched plants are used for green salad and as ingredients for the preparation of many recipes in the semi-arid and sub-tropic areas of India.

Proximate, Phytochemical and Antibacterial Properties of Ethanol Extracts of Zeamays and Teiferia occidentalis Plant Leaves from Plastic Enriched Compost Soil in Edo State, Nigeria

This study examined proximate, phytochemical and antibacterial properties of ethanol extracts of maize (Zea mays) and pumpkin (Terferia occidentalis) plant leaves from plastics enriched compost soil in Edo State, Nigeria using standard techniques. In this study, the highest phytochemicals constituents were found in control plants with saponin and flavonoid being the most abundant. However, observable decrease and absence of some photochemical constituent were observed in plastic enriched plants. Thus, the presence of microplastic in the soil may have played a part in the reduction of plant phytochemical constituent and possibly reduce the antibacterial properties of our medicinal plant. In proximate analyses, it was observed that phytochemical parameters such as protein, fat, fiber, and carbohydrate, decreased in percentage as the microplastic concentration increases in the soil.

Cadmium-Rich Plant Powder/PAN/PU Foams with Low Thermal Conductivity.

Treating and utilizing heavy metal enriched plants have become growing problems. In this work, a series of composite foams were made from the powder of Cadmium-rich plant, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polyurethane (PU). Test results indicated that the addition of plant powder can not only increase the specific surface area, but also improve the apparent density and thermal stability of the foams. Besides, compared with the foam without plant powder, the powder-added foams exhibited a decreasing trend for thermal conductivity, and the minimum was 0.048 w/(m·k), which indicated that the addition of plant powder can help to enhance the thermal insulation of composite foam. More importantly, the results of leaching experiment showed that the leaching rate of heavy metal cadmium in the composite foam with 50% plant powder content was as low as 0.14% after being immersed in the acidic (pH = 3) solution for 5 days, which implies that the foam materials are very safe. This study provides a new way to realize high value-added resource utilization of heavy metal-enriched plants.

2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases drive expansion of steroidal alkaloid structural diversity in the genus Solanum.

Solanum steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) are renowned defence metabolites exhibiting spectacular structural diversity. Genes and enzymes generating the SGA precursor pathway, SGA scaffold and glycosylated forms have been largely identified. Yet, the majority of downstream metabolic steps creating the vast repertoire of SGAs remain untapped. Here, we discovered that members of the 2-OXOGLUTARATE-DEPENDENT DIOXYGENASE (2-ODD) family play a prominent role in SGA metabolism, carrying out three distinct backbone-modifying oxidative steps in addition to the three formerly reported pathway reactions. The GLYCOALKALOID METABOLISM34 (GAME34) enzyme catalyses the conversion of core SGAs to habrochaitosides in wild tomato S. habrochaites. Cultivated tomato plants overexpressing GAME34 ectopically accumulate habrochaitosides. These habrochaitoside enriched plants extracts potently inhibit Puccinia spp. spore germination, a significant Solanaceae crops fungal pathogen. Another 2-ODD enzyme, GAME33, acts as a desaturase (via hydroxylation and E/F ring rearrangement) forming unique, yet unreported SGAs. Conversion of bitter α-tomatine to ripe fruit, nonbitter SGAs (e.g. esculeoside A) requires two hydroxylations; while the known GAME31 2-ODD enzyme catalyses hydroxytomatine formation, we find that GAME40 catalyses the penultimate step in the pathway and generates acetoxy-hydroxytomatine towards esculeosides accumulation. Our results highlight the significant contribution of 2-ODD enzymes to the remarkable structural diversity found in plant steroidal specialized metabolism.

Effect of High-Temperature Stress on Plant Physiological Traits and Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in Maize Plants.

Increasing high temperature (HT) has a deleterious effect on plant growth. Earlier works reported the protective role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) under stress conditions, particularly influencing the physiological parameters. However, the protective role of AMF under high-temperature stress examining physiological parameters with characteristic phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) of soil microbial communities including AMF has not been studied. This work aims to study how high-temperature stress affects photosynthetic and below-ground traits in maize plants with and without AMF. Photosynthetic parameters like quantum yield of photosystem (PS) II, PSI, electron transport, and fractions of open reaction centers decreased in HT exposed plants, but recovered in AMF + HT plants. AMF + HT plants had significantly higher AM-signature 16:1ω5cis neutral lipid fatty acid (NLFA), spore density in soil, and root colonization with lower lipid peroxidation than non-mycorrhizal HT plants. As a result, enriched plants had more active living biomass, which improved photosynthetic efficiency when exposed to heat. This study provides an understanding of how AM-mediated plants can tolerate high temperatures while maintaining the stability of their photosynthetic apparatus. This is the first study to combine above- and below-ground traits, which could lead to a new understanding of plant and rhizosphere stress.

The Truth about Vitamin C Enriched Plants and Vegetables Used in Nigeria for the Management of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the dexterity and wits of Nigerians in the face of dire challenges. The low fatality recorded by Nigeria during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic attests to this. A minimal death rate bewilders experts, despite the speculation that Nigeria might experience a high death rate. Nigerians resorted to home remedies for prophylaxis and curative measures using available vitamin C enriched plants and vegetables. This brief review explored various plants and vegetables reported to have been utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The obvious is that many Nigerians use one or more plants and vegetables as a home remedy. This spurred the interest of Nigerian scientists in more researches in Nigeria with the aim of standardization and registration for use.

Using decoction of some vitamin C enriched plants for the management of COVID-19 in Jos, Nigeria: A case report

The worldwide influence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic compelled the global health organizations to prioritize the situation over all other related community health issues. The lack of specific treatment modalities against COVID-19 is a major concern nowadays. Here is a case of a 44-year-old man of 176 cm height and 87 kg body weight, who took some powdered mixture equally composed of bitter kola, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, and turmeric sweetened with three teaspoons full of honey. All ingredients were dissolved in 100 ml hot water and taken three times a day during isolation as a positive COVID-19 patient and reversed all associated signs and symptoms after 7 days as confirmed with rapid diagnostic techniques (RDTs). This case revealed that homogenized herbal tea in Jos Nigeria possesses a potential therapeutic that could be a treatment protocol against COVID-19.

MEDICINAL IMPORTANCE OF MOLLUGO VERTICILLATA (MOLLUGINACEAE): A REVIEW

Over the years, the world has become common to pandemic diseases in humans with lot of ailments and untreated infectious disorders. Most of the laboratories across the globe run in with under developed vaccines and drugs for many diseases for its procurement and prevention. But the bioavailability of the drug in the market is less reached due to high cost and etc. In the current situation, plant saps and its extracts are used to counteract with the pathogens based on the information in traditional medicine. Most of the phytochemical enriched herb, weed or plants available commonly are used for treatments of various diseases. One of the herbs found is Mollugo verticillata (commonly known as ‘green carpet weed’). It is commonly used in treating fever, aches and other various ailments and it shows promising activity in pharmacological properties due to the presence of phytoconstituents like terpenoids, saponins and flavonoids. Finally, the plant extract has enormous medicinal importance. This review is a collection of overall research work on Mollugo verticillata plant and their medicinal compounds present.

Se-Methylselenocysteine (SMC) Improves Cognitive Deficits by Attenuating Synaptic and Metabolic Abnormalities in Alzheimer's Mice Model: A Proteomic Study.

Se-methylselenocysteine (SMC) is a major selenocompound in selenium (Se) enriched plants and has been found to ameliorate neuropathology and cognitive deficits in triple-transgenic mice model of Alzheimer's disease (3 × Tg-AD mice). To explore the underlying molecular mechanisms, the present study is designed to elucidate the protein changes in the cortex of SMC-treated 3 × Tg-AD mice. After SMC supplementation, proteomic analysis revealed that 181, 271, and 41 proteins were identified as differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between 3 × Tg-AD mice vs wild type (AD/WT group), SMC-treated AD mice vs AD (AD + SMC/AD), and AD + SMC/WT group, respectively. Among these, 138 proteins in the diseased group were reversed by SMC treatment. The DEPs in AD/WT group and AD + SMC/AD group were mainly related to metabolism, synapses, and antioxidant proteins, while their levels were decreased in AD mice but up-regulated after treating with SMC. In addition, we found reduced ATP levels and destroyed synaptic structures in the AD mice brains, which were significantly ameliorated upon SMC treatment. Our study suggests that energy metabolism disorders, abnormal amino acid metabolism, synaptic dysfunction, and oxidative stress may be the key pathogenic phenomena of AD. SMC reversed the expression of proteins associated with them, which might be the main mechanism of its intervention in AD.

Brief Communication COVID-19 in the midst of Malaria, Cold, and Flu in Nigeria

There is a relationship existing in the nature of management of COVID-19, malaria, cold, and flu ranging from the use of anti-malaria to immune boosters such as vitamin C, herbal/home remedies, large intake of fluids and rest while recommending conventional drugs. This study was done to establish the relationships in terms of clinical symptoms, diagnosis and management. In Nigeria, NAFDAC acknowledged the positive effects of vitamin C enriched plants and vegetables on COVID-19 as discovered by r

Interactions Between Phytochemicals and Minerals in Terminalia ferdinandiana and Implications for Mineral Bioavailability.

Oxalic and phytic acid are phytochemicals considered to be anti-nutritional factors as they are predominantly found as oxalates and phytates bound to minerals like calcium and potassium. Studies have associated excessive oxalate consumption with increased urinary excretion of oxalate (hyperoxaluria) and calcium oxalate kidney stone formation, and excessive phytate consumption with decreased bioaccessibility and bioavailability of certain minerals and reduced utilization of dietary protein. However, other studies suggest that dietary consumption of phytate may be beneficial and inhibit formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones. In light of these conflicting reports, dietary intake of oxalate and phytate enriched plants should be considered in relation to potential health outcomes following consumption. Terminalia ferdinandiana is one such plant and is investigated here with respect to oxalate, phytate, and mineral contents. Assessment of oxalate and phytate contents in T. ferdinandiana fruit, leaf, and seedcoat tissues through hydrolysis into acid forms revealed oxalic acid contents ranging from 327 to 1,420 mg/100 g on a dry weight (DW) basis whilst phytic acid contents ranged from 8.44 to 121.72 mg/100 g DW. Calcium content in the different tissues ranged from 131 to 1,343 mg/100 g. There was no correlation between oxalic acid and calcium, however a significant, positive correlation was observed between phytic acid and calcium (r = 0.9917; p < 0.001), indicating that tissues rich in phytic acid also contain higher levels of calcium. The high content of phytic acid in comparison to oxalic acid in T. ferdinandiana fruit found in this study and the dietary significance of this in terms of calcium bioavailability, needs to be investigated further.

Case reports in the use of vitamin C based regimen in prophylaxis and management of COVID-19 among Nigerians

This case study was based on the novel opinion that daily intake of vitamin C can serve as a prophylactic and curative intervention for the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) via homeostatic and epigenetic mechanisms. To substantiate this hypothesis, some Nigerians who used vitamin C based regimen consented to share their experience in the prevention and management of the coronavirus irrespective of their country of abode. Participants all agreed to the use of their information for the public, albeit anonymous, via appending their signatures on an informed consent form. The documented cases took place from March 15 to September 1, 2020, this was to allow for more time to be able to observe the participants. The study provided evidence that regular use of Ascorbic acid tablets and vitamin C enriched plants could improve the immunity needed against the infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Effect of environmental enrichment on the stress response of juvenile black rockfish Sebastes schlegelii

The stress response is one of the most important aspects of fish welfare in aquaculture. However, relatively few studies focusing on the effect of environmental enrichment on the fish stress response have been conducted, and their limited results were considerably contradictory. The present study aimed to investigate whether the enrichment type and amount had significant effects on the basal stress level and physiological and behavioral responses to acute stress of juvenile black rockfish Sebastes schlegelii. Fish were reared for eight weeks in environments with two enrichment types and three enrichment amounts (i.e., no environmental enrichment control (C), low-amount plant enrichment (PL), medium-amount plant enrichment (PM), high-amount plant enrichment (PH), low-amount structure enrichment (SL), medium-amount structure enrichment (SM), and high-amount structure enrichment (SH)), and subsequently, they were successively subjected to two common acute stressors (i.e., air exposure and confinement) and sampled at 0, 0.5, 1, 3 and 6 h after stress. In general, the plant enrichment groups experienced significantly higher basal stress (indicated by cortisol level and opercular beat rate) than the structure enrichment groups. Meanwhile, no enrichment control group and low-amount enrichment groups experienced significantly higher basal stress than the other two enrichment amount groups. After being subjected to acute stress, the peak cortisol levels of the high-amount enrichment groups were significantly higher than that of the other three enrichment amount groups. The PM, PH and SL fish recovered to basal stress levels at 1 h, the C and PL fish recovered at 3 h, and the SM and SH fish recovered at 6 h after the stress. Moreover, their basal cortisol levels showed strong correlations with peak cortisol levels and recovery time from stress. The correlation between cortisol level and opercular beat rate was also strong. Taken together, these results provide the first evidence to show that enrichment type and amount had significant effects on the fish stress response and might have important applications in fish husbandry and welfare. Based on these results, we suggest that it may be optimal for fish basal stress level and development of an adaptive capacity to provide a medium-amount (approximately 50% floor space coverage) of mixed enrichment in aquaculture.

The disparity in the abundance of C4 plants estimated using the carbon isotopic composition of paleosol components

Long-term paleovegetational records from continental settings help in comprehending regional and global forcing on the abundance of C3-C4 plants in the past. The carbon isotopic composition of soil carbonates (δ13CSC), soil organic matter (δ13CSOM), organic matter occluded in soil carbonate nodules (δ13CNOM) and biomarkers in paleosol organic matter (long-chain fatty acid; δ13CFAME) are often used to estimate changes in the past-vegetational composition. However, it has been observed that depending on the type of proxy, the estimated abundance of C3-C4 plants varies, which can lead to uncertainty in paleovegetational records. Hence, the present study aims to comprehend the factors affecting the δ13CSC, δ13CSOM, δ13CNOM and δ13CFAME values within a paleosol. In this context, available δ13CSC, δ13CSOM, δ13CFAME and newly measured δ13CNOM values from the late Quaternary sequences of the Ganga Plain, India has been used. The abundance of C4 plants calculated from the δ13CSC and δ13CFAME values is ~2% to 89% higher compared to the δ13CSOM and δ13CNOM values-based estimates. Even with a common source of organic matter, the δ13CSOM values indicate a higher abundance of C4 plants (~2% to 50%) compared to the estimates from δ13CNOM values. We suggest that the disparity is due to the variation in the response of proxies to perturbations in the paleovegetational regime, growing season condition, and isotopic fractionation during decomposition and incorporation of organic matter into the soil. For example, the organic matter is incorporated into the soil throughout the year and represents average annual biomass, whereas SC precipitates under warmer and often drier condition when the ratio of C4 to C3 plant respiration is higher. Additionally, preferential degradation of 13C enriched labile compounds and C4 plants derived organic matter may lower the δ13CNOM values resulting in an under estimation of C4 plants in a mixed C3-C4 environment. The higher abundance of C4 plants estimated from the δ13CFAME values is due to the isotopic fractionation (13C enrichment of ~2‰ to 7‰) during incorporation of plant-derived long-chain fatty acids into the soil. The disparity in the abundance of C4 plants estimated from δ13CSOM and δ13CNOM values is due to the difference in the preservation of SOM and NOM. Contrary to the NOM (which is in a closed system), SOM in open system within the soil matrix is subjected to 13C enrichment due to the long-term humification of organic matter. Various factors such as grain size and pedogenesis that are inherent to the depositional environment also control the δ13C values of paleosol components. Considering the uncertainties associated with the δ13C values of paleosol components, reporting the absolute abundance of C4 plants would be uncertain. Therefore, we recommend presenting the relative change in abundance of C3-C4 plants during paleovegetational reconstruction.

Usage of microbial combination degradation technology for the remediation of uranium contaminated ryegrass

Post phytoremediation accumulation of heavy metals in plants is causing an environmental issue worldwide. In this study, we investigated the ability of eight different kinds of microorganisms to degrade and release heavy metals from heavy metal enriched ryegrass, including 5 species of bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus pumilus-I, Bacillus pumilus-II and Bacillus cereus) and 3 of fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trichoderma ressei and Pterula sp. strain QD-1), by growing them under uranium stress and assessing their ability to degrade biomass. After 30 days, the degradation ability of fungi was found better than that of bacteria, while the metal leaching ability of bacteria was found better. The highest degradation rate (upto 60%) was obtained by using P. chrysosporium, Pterula sp. strain QD-1 exhibited the best leaching rate for uranium (upto 77%). The overall degradation rate of lignin and cellulose and hemicellulose was found lower (40% and 60%, respectively). According to the antagonistic characteristics of microbes, we combined different dominant species, in which under optimal conditions the T2 combination (P. chrysosporium, T. reesei, and Pterula sp. strain QD-1 and B. subtilis) was able to degrade 80% of the ryegrass, 51% of lignin, 74% of cellulose and hemicellulose, releasing 78% of U, 90% of Pb and the releasing rate of other heavy metals was more than 95%. FTIR analysis showed the least degradation of lignin, while SEM-EDX analysis of the degradation residues displayed the microstructure of ryegrass being greatly damaged. Only a small amount of U was found in the residues of the researched combinations. This study provides efficient Microbial Combined Degradation Technology for heavy metal enriched biomass, which can effectively deal with heavy metal enriched plants, and provide a basis for the recovery and utilization of heavy metals, avoiding secondary pollution in the environment caused by this type of biomass.

Role of acid gases in Hg0 removal from flue gas over a novel cobalt-containing biochar prepared from harvested cobalt-enriched phytoremediation plant

A novel biochar containing highly-dispersed cobalt oxides was prepared by one-step pyrolysis using Co-enriched Siberian Iris as the raw material, and it was used for elemental mercury removal from flue gas. The presence of NO or HCl could approximately keep Hg0 removal efficiency over 85%, while the presence of SO2 suppressed Hg0 removal. The role of aforementioned acid gases in Hg0 removal over such biochar was systematically studied. The surface active oxygen species derived from the reversible conversion between Co3+ and Co2+ could activate the adsorbed NO (HCl) to produce active nitrogenous (chlorine) species, which functioned as active site for Hg0 oxidation removal. The reaction between NO (HCl) and Hg0 occurred mainly through the Eley-Rideal mechanism. SO2 consumed active oxygen and reacted with active Co3+ to generate Co2+ bonded with SO42−, resulting in irreversible damage on the biochar. The formation of active nitrogenous (chlorine) species as well as its reaction with Hg0 would be hampered by the generation of sulfate. This study can give some basic insights into the application of such heavy metal enriched phytoremediation plants for elemental mercury removal from flue gas.