Effects of Nano-TiO2 particles on bioaccumulation of 133Cs from the contaminated soil by Soybean (Glycine max)

This study investigated the effects of nano-TiO2 particles on cesium uptake by soybean plant, which was conducted in a plant growth chamber with adding different concentrations of (133) CS to the soil. This study identified compositional and functional group changes of the elements contained in the soybean root and shoot due to the accumulation of Cs-133. With use of nano-TiO2, the accumulation of Cs-133 identified in the shoot (731.7 mu g/g dw) was higher than that in the root (597.8 mu g/g dw). The Cs 3d peaks identified in the XPS spectrum analysis of the shoot and root biomass could be an evident for Cs-133 accumulation. The appearance of the new FTIR peaks on the root and shoot biomass can be explained by new bond formation of Cs-133 or nano-TiO2 with biomass matrix. Therefore, the application of nano-TiO2 in Cs contaminated soil can significantly enhance Cs-133 uptake and its accumulation in plants. (C) 2018 Institution of Chemical Engineers.Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.