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Phytoremediation of soils polluted with non-recyclable plastic
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Laboratory experiments showed that beans and peas can stimulate low-density polyethylene degradation in soil, with bacterized bean seedlings achieving 2.3% LDPE breakdown in just 39 days even under toxic polluted soil conditions. Plant-assisted phytoremediation offers a biologically low-cost approach to accelerating plastic degradation in contaminated agricultural and industrial soils.
Laboratory experiments tested the ability of certain plants (beans and peas) to stimulate the degradation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in soil. It was demonstrated that the presence of LDPE strips in the soil did not have toxic effects on either plant species used. In the case of bean cultivation, it even stimulated plant growth. It was established that beans and peas can stimulate LDPE degradation depending on soil characteristics and the presence of growth-stimulating factors. Pea plants were more effective in stimulating LDPE degradation in unpolluted forest soil. Beans were more effective in polluted soil and resulted in the highest LDPE degradation (2.3% in 39 days) when seeds were bacterized. The ability to ensure significant LDPE degradation under actual toxic conditions of polluted soil highlighted a significant advantage of bean plants - important in developing phytoremediation methods for lands contaminated with non-recyclable plastic and other pollutants.
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