Phytoremediators from abandoned rice field

Abstract

We screened about 50 species of plants collected from local abandoned rice fields for capability to decolorize Remzol Brillinant Blue R (RBBR), an anthraquinone dye. We chose Rumex crispus L. subsp. japonicus (Houtt.) Kitamura (a curly dock; "Gishi-gishi" in Japanese) and rice, and investigated the capability of these plants to remove bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, from the culture medium. Aseptically-grown curly dock appeared to completely remove BPA added in the culture medium (1000 mg BPA kg-1 fresh plants, 40 mg l-1) by 15 days after treatment (DAT). At 7 DAT methanol-extractable BPA was present in curly dock. However, no such BPA was detectable at 14 DAT. Curly dock was found to remove completely BPA at an environmental pollution level (1 μg l-1) by 15 DAT. Rice showed a similar or less capability to clean up BPA from the culture medium. Copyright © 2005 The Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology.