The accumulation of lead (Pb) deposits in soil is a growing global concern. Phytoextraction of Pb-contaminated soil can be enhanced by soil chelation to increase the bioavailability of Pb. In the initial study nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) 5mM, the alkylpolyglucoside (APG) Triton X-100 (2%), and nano-silica were applied to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) growing in 5L pots of Pb-contaminated soil. The second experiment used 10mM NTA, the alkylpolyglycoside Triton X-100 (2%), foliar application of the plant growth regulator 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) twice per week, Triple-12® nutrients, and Infuse™ a soil fungicide which were applied to switchgrass Plants were grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in 5L pots with Pb-contaminated soil (5802.5 mg kg-1) collected from a former Superfund site in Cedartown, GA. Following harvest, plant material was dried, acid digested and chemically analyzed for lead (Pb), aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) using an ICP-OES. Switchgrass treated with 5mM NTA showed an increased average Pb concentration of 858 mg kg-1, but this was further improved with applications of 10mM NTA, with an average concentration of 3196.5 mg kg-1 in plants foliage. Combined applications of NTA and APG and foliar applications of BAP and nutrients resulted in the highest average Pb concentration of 5,355 mg kg-1. The results suggested that soil applications of 10 mM NTA and Triton X-100, Infuse™ and foliar applications of BAP could be a beneficial technique for phytoremediation of Pb contaminated soils.
","abstract_html":"<p>The accumulation of lead (Pb) deposits in soil is a growing global concern. Phytoextraction of Pb-contaminated soil can be enhanced by soil chelation to increase the bioavailability of Pb. In the initial study nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) 5mM, the alkylpolyglucoside (APG) Triton X-100 (2%), and nano-silica were applied to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) growing in 5L pots of Pb-contaminated soil. The second experiment used 10mM NTA, the alkylpolyglycoside Triton X-100 (2%), foliar application of the plant growth regulator 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) twice per week, Triple-12® nutrients, and Infuse™ a soil fungicide which were applied to switchgrass Plants were grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in 5L pots with Pb-contaminated soil (5802.5 mg kg-1) collected from a former Superfund site in Cedartown, GA. Following harvest, plant material was dried, acid digested and chemically analyzed for lead (Pb), aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) using an ICP-OES. Switchgrass treated with 5mM NTA showed an increased average Pb concentration of 858 mg kg-1, but this was further improved with applications of 10mM NTA, with an average concentration of 3196.5 mg kg-1 in plants foliage. Combined applications of NTA and APG and foliar applications of BAP and nutrients resulted in the highest average Pb concentration of 5,355 mg kg-1. The results suggested that soil applications of 10 mM NTA and Triton X-100, Infuse™ and foliar applications of BAP could be a beneficial technique for phytoremediation of Pb contaminated soils.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hart, Genna"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Marina Koether","Thomas McElroy"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-08-04T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-08-04T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:58Z","subjects":["Phytoextraction","EDTA","NTA","(lead) Pb","Bio-energy crop","switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)","Biology","Integrative Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/87","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Marina Koether","Thomas McElroy"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hart, Genna"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-08-04T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Phytoextraction","EDTA","NTA","(lead) Pb","Bio-energy crop","switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)","Biology","Integrative Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/87"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The accumulation of lead (Pb) deposits in soil is a growing global concern. Phytoextraction of Pb-contaminated soil can be enhanced by soil chelation to increase the bioavailability of Pb. In the initial study nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) 5mM, the alkylpolyglucoside (APG) Triton X-100 (2%), and nano-silica were applied to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) growing in 5L pots of Pb-contaminated soil. The second experiment used 10mM NTA, the alkylpolyglycoside Triton X-100 (2%), foliar application of the plant growth regulator 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) twice per week, Triple-12® nutrients, and Infuse™ a soil fungicide which were applied to switchgrass Plants were grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in 5L pots with Pb-contaminated soil (5802.5 mg kg-1) collected from a former Superfund site in Cedartown, GA. Following harvest, plant material was dried, acid digested and chemically analyzed for lead (Pb), aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) using an ICP-OES. Switchgrass treated with 5mM NTA showed an increased average Pb concentration of 858 mg kg-1, but this was further improved with applications of 10mM NTA, with an average concentration of 3196.5 mg kg-1 in plants foliage. Combined applications of NTA and APG and foliar applications of BAP and nutrients resulted in the highest average Pb concentration of 5,355 mg kg-1. The results suggested that soil applications of 10 mM NTA and Triton X-100, Infuse™ and foliar applications of BAP could be a beneficial technique for phytoremediation of Pb contaminated soils.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Chemically Induced Phytoextraction of Lead (Pb) Contaminated Soil by Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), assisted with BAP and NTA applications"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Marina Koether","Thomas McElroy"],"dc:creator":["Hart, Genna"],"dc:date.available":["2022-08-04T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The accumulation of lead (Pb) deposits in soil is a growing global concern. Phytoextraction of Pb-contaminated soil can be enhanced by soil chelation to increase the bioavailability of Pb. In the initial study nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) 5mM, the alkylpolyglucoside (APG) Triton X-100 (2%), and nano-silica were applied to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) growing in 5L pots of Pb-contaminated soil. The second experiment used 10mM NTA, the alkylpolyglycoside Triton X-100 (2%), foliar application of the plant growth regulator 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) twice per week, Triple-12® nutrients, and Infuse™ a soil fungicide which were applied to switchgrass Plants were grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in 5L pots with Pb-contaminated soil (5802.5 mg kg-1) collected from a former Superfund site in Cedartown, GA. Following harvest, plant material was dried, acid digested and chemically analyzed for lead (Pb), aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) using an ICP-OES. Switchgrass treated with 5mM NTA showed an increased average Pb concentration of 858 mg kg-1, but this was further improved with applications of 10mM NTA, with an average concentration of 3196.5 mg kg-1 in plants foliage. Combined applications of NTA and APG and foliar applications of BAP and nutrients resulted in the highest average Pb concentration of 5,355 mg kg-1. The results suggested that soil applications of 10 mM NTA and Triton X-100, Infuse™ and foliar applications of BAP could be a beneficial technique for phytoremediation of Pb contaminated soils.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/87"],"dc:subject":["Phytoextraction","EDTA","NTA","(lead) Pb","Bio-energy crop","switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)","Biology","Integrative Biology"],"dc:title":["Chemically Induced Phytoextraction of Lead (Pb) Contaminated Soil by Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), assisted with BAP and NTA applications"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:58Z"}