Phytotoxicity of ZnO/kaolinite nanocomposite-is anchoring the right way to lower environmental risk?

0508088 - ÚEB 2020 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Tokarský, J. - Mamulová Kutláková, K. - Podlipná, Radka - Vaněk, Tomáš
Phytotoxicity of ZnO/kaolinite nanocomposite-is anchoring the right way to lower environmental risk?
Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Roč. 26, č. 21 (2019), s. 22069-22081. ISSN 0944-1344. E-ISSN 1614-7499
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) EF16_019/0000738; GA MŠMT LQ1602
Institutional support: RVO:61389030
Keywords : Anchoring * Kaolinite * Nanocomposite * Phytotoxicity * Scanning electron microscopy * Zinc oxide
OECD category: Biochemical research methods
Impact factor: 3.056, year: 2019
Method of publishing: Open access
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05529-9

The importance of studies on photoactive zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) increases with increasing environmental pollution. Since the ZnO NPs (and NPs in general) also pose an environmental risk, and since an understanding of the risk is still not sufficient, it is important to prevent their spread into the environment. Anchoring on phyllosilicate particles of micrometric size is considered to be a useful way to address this problem, however, so far mainly on the basis of leaching tests in pure water. In the present study, the phytotoxicity of kaolinite/ZnO NP (10, 30, and 50 wt.%) nanocomposites in concentrations 10, 100, and 1000 mg/dm3 tested on white mustard (Sinapis alba) seedlings was found to be higher (relative lengths of roots are ~ 1.4 times lower) compared with seedlings treated with pristine ZnO NPs. The amount of Zn accumulated from the nanocomposites in white mustard tissues was ~ 2 times higher than can be expected based on the ZnO content in the nanocomposites compared with the ZnO content (100 wt.%) in pristine ZnO NPs. For the false fox-sedge (Carex otrubae) plants, the amount of Zn accumulated in roots and leaves was ~ 2.25 times higher and ~ 2.85 times higher, respectively, compared with that of the pristine ZnO NPs (with respect to the ZnO content). Increased phytotoxicity of the nanocomposites and higher uptake of Zn by plants from the nanocomposites in comparison with pristine ZnO NPs suggest that the immobilization of ZnO NPs on the kaolinite does not reduce the environmental risk.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0299080