Phyto-remediation of Land Polluted with Non-Recyclable Plastic

The ability of soybean (Glycine max) and vetch plants (Vicia) to stimulate the degradation of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in soil was tested in the vegetative experiments under laboratory conditions. It was shown that the presence of LDPE strips in soil had no toxic effects on either of the plants, and that, in the case of soybeans (Glycine max), it stimulated plant growth. It has been shown that soybeans (Glycine max) and vetch (Vicia) can stimulate the degradation of LDPE depending on the particularities of the soil and the presence of plant growth stimulating factors. The vetch plants (Vicia) were relatively more effective in stimulating the LDPE degradation in case of unpolluted soil, collected from the forest. Soybean plants (Glycine max) were relatively more efficient under polluted soil conditions and lead to the highest rate of LDPE degradation (2.3% in 39 days) – in the variant with seed bacterization by Rhizobium japonicum RB-06. The ability to ensure a significant degradation of LDPE, under the real toxic conditions of polluted soil, highlighted the perspectivity of soybean plants (Glycine max) for the development of phyto-remediation procedures of lands polluted by non-recyclable plastic and other contaminants