|
|
||||||||
Laboratory of Soil Biochemistry, Center for Bioremediation and Detoxification, The Pennsylvania State Univ., 129 Land and Water Building, University Park, PA 16802
* Corresponding author (jmbollag{at}psu.edu)
Received for publication April 29, 2002. Use of additives, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), selected surfactants, chitosan gel, or activated carbon, has been shown to enhance enzymatic treatment of water polluted with organic compounds. In this study, additives were used to facilitate the removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) from water using minced horseradish (Armoracia rusticana P. Gaertn. et al.) as a carrier of peroxidase activity. The specific objectives of the study were to (i) enhance the pollutant removal activity of minced horseradish by the addition of PEG and other additives (e.g., Tween 20, Triton X-100, and rhamnolipid); (ii) eliminate colored reaction products by the addition of chitosan; and (iii) eliminate color by amending treated water with activated carbon. The disappearance of 2,4-DCP in horseradish-treated water samples amended with PEG or various surfactants (7590%) was greatly increased over that observed in nonamended samples (29%). The effect of PEG depended on its average molecular weight. As indicated by visible spectrophotometry, enclosing horseradish pieces between two sealed chitosan films completely eliminated colored reaction products; however, the decolorization was accompanied by a reduction in 2,4-DCP removal (from 95 to 60%). On the other hand, commercially available activated carbon completely removed colored reaction products from the treated water without reducing the removal efficiency. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the use of additives may considerably improve the quality of wastewater treated by plant materials.
Abbreviations: 2,4-DCP, 2,4-dichlorophenol HRP, horseradish peroxidase PEG, polyethylene glycol
Related articles in JEQ:
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| The SCI Journals | Agronomy Journal | Crop Science | |||
| Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education |
Vadose Zone Journal | ||||
| Soil Science Society of America Journal | Journal of Plant Registrations | The Plant Genome | |||