Plant-promoted dissipation of four submerged macrophytes to phenanthrene

In order to investigate the function of submerged aquatic plants for recovery of water polluted by typical organic pollutants, and select potential plants for phytoremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contaminated water, removal efficiencies of four submerged macrophytes to phenanthrene were investigated, following 40-day exposure to phenanthrene solutions in an outdoor-simulated experiment. During the exposure period, phenanthrene concentration in water, sediments and the roots of submerged macrophytes were observed. Results showed that Elodeacanadensi exhibited the highest concentrations in roots, while Ceratophyllum demersum contained the lowest among these four submerged macrophytes. The disparity of phenanthrene in roots would come from plant properties including the shape and surface area of both shoots and roots. These plants enhanced the remediation of phenanthrene in solution through plant-promoted sedimentation and biodegradation. Potamogetoncrispu and Elodeacanadensi showed the higher performance to remove phenanthrene due to plant-promoted biodegradation.