Simultaneous Separation of Sb(III) and Sb(V) by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) – Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) with Application to Plants, Soils, and Sediments

Selenium increases antimony uptake in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) by enhancing the physiological, antioxidative, and ionomic mechanisms

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) is a promising phytoremediation candidate due to its high tolerance and enrichment capacity for antimony (Sb). However, challenges arise as Sb accumulated mainly in roots, complicating soil extraction. Under severe Sb contamination, the growth of ramie may be inhibited. Strategies are needed to enhance Sb accumulation in ramie's aboveground parts and improve tolerance to Sb stress. Considering the beneficial effects of selenium (Se) on plant growth and enhancing resistance to abiotic stresses, this study aimed to investigate the potential use of Se in enhancing Sb uptake by ramie. We investigated the effects of Se (0.5, 1, 2, 5, or 10 μM) on ramie growth, Sb uptake and speciation, antioxidant responses, and ionomic profiling in ramie under 10 mg/L of SbIII or antimonate (SbV) stresses. Results revealed that the addition of 0.5 μM Se significantly increased shoot biomass by 75.73% under SbIII stress but showed minimal effects on shoot and root length in both SbIII and SbV treatments. Under SbIII stress, 2 μM Se significantly enhanced Sb concentrations by 48.42% in roots and 62.88% in leaves. In the case of SbV exposure, 10 μM Se increased Sb content in roots by 42.57%, and 1 μM Se led to a 91.74% increase in leaves. The speciation analysis suggested that Se promoted the oxidation of SbIII to less toxic SbV to mitigate Sb toxicity. Additionally, Se addition effectively minimized the excess reactive oxygen species produced by Sb exposure, with the lowest malondialdehyde (MDA) content at 0.5 μM Se under SbIII and 2 μM Se under SbV, by activating antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and glutathione peroxidase. Ionomic analysis revealed that Se helped in maintaining the homeostasis of certain nutrient elements, including magnesium, potassium (K), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) in the SbIII-treated roots and K and manganese (Mg) in the SbV-treated roots. The results suggest that low concentrations of Se can be employed to enhance the phytoremediation of Sb-contaminated soils using ramie.

The uptake, transportation, and chemical speciation of Sb(III) and Sb(V) by wetland plants Arundinoideae (Phragmites australis) and Potamogetonaceae (Potamogeton crispus)

Antimony (Sb) is increasingly released and poses a risk to the environment and human health. Antimonite (Sb(III)) oxidation can decrease Sb toxicity, but the current knowledge regarding the effects of Sb(III) and antimonate (Sb(V)) exposure is limited to wetland plants, especially the Sb speciation in plants. In this study, Phragmites australis and Potamogeton crispus were exposed to 10 and 30 mg/L Sb(III) or Sb(V) for 20 days. The total concentration, subcellular distribution, and concentration in the iron plaque of Sb were determined. The Sb speciation in plants was analyzed by HPLC-ICP-MS. It illustrated that Sb(III) exposure led to more Sb accumulation in plants than Sb(V) treatments, with the highest Sb concentration of 405.35 and 3218 mg/kg in Phragmites australis and Potamogeton crispus, respectively. In the subcellular distribution of Sb, accumulation of Sb mainly occurred in cell walls and cell cytosol. In Phragmites australis, the transport factor in the Sb(V) treatments was about 3 times higher than the Sb(III) treatments, however, it was lower in the Sb(V) treatments than Sb(III) treatments for Potamogeton crispus. Sb(V) was detected in the plants of Sb(III) treatments with different Sb(V)-total Sb vitro (Phragmites australis: 34 % and, Potamogeton crispus: 15 %), moreover, Sb(V) was also detected in the nutrient solution of Sb(III) treatments. Antimony exposure caused a reduction of the iron plaque formation, at the same time, the root aerenchyma formation was disrupted, and this phenomenon is more pronounced in the Sb(III) treatments. Moreover, the iron plaque has a higher sorption potential to Sb under Sb(III) exposure than that under Sb(V) exposure. The results can fill the gap for antinomy speciation in wetland plants and expand the current knowledge regarding the Sb translocation in wetland systems.

Uptake, tolerance, and detoxification mechanisms of antimonite and antimonate in Boehmeria nivea L

Boehmeria nivea L. (ramie) is a promising phytoremediation plant for antimony (Sb)-contaminated soils. However, the uptake, tolerance, and detoxification mechanisms of ramie to Sb, which are the basis for finding efficient phytoremediation strategies, remain unclear. In the present study, ramie was exposed to 0, 1, 10, 50, 100, and 200 mg/L of antimonite (Sb(III)) or antimonate (Sb(V)) for 14 days in hydroponic culture. The Sb concentration, speciation, subcellular distribution, and antioxidant and ionomic responses in ramie were investigated. The results illustrated that ramie was more effective in the uptake of Sb(III) than Sb(V). Most of the Sb accumulated in ramie roots, with the highest level reaching 7883.58 mg/kg. Sb(V) was the predominant species in leaves, with 80.77-96.38% and 100% in the Sb(III) and Sb(V) treatments, respectively. Immobilization of Sb on the cell wall and leaf cytosol was the primary mechanism of accumulation. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) contributed significantly to root defense against Sb(III), while CAT and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were the major antioxidants in leaves. CAT and POD played crucial roles in the defense against Sb(V). B, Ca, K, Mg, and Mn in Sb(V)-treated leaves and K and Cu in Sb(III)-treated leaves may be related to the biological processes of Sb toxicity mitigation. This study is the first to investigate the ionomic responses of plants toward Sb and could provide valuable information for the phytoremediation of Sb-polluted soils.

Biogeochemical behavior and pollution control of arsenic in mining areas: A review

Arsenic (As) is one of the most toxic metalloids that possess many forms. As is constantly migrating from abandoned mining area to the surrounding environment in both oxidation and reducing conditions, threatening human health and ecological safety. The biogeochemical reaction of As included oxidation, reduction, methylation, and demethylation, which is closely associated with microbial metabolisms. The study of the geochemical behavior of arsenic in mining areas and the microbial remediation of arsenic pollution have great potential and are hot spots for the prevention and remediation of arsenic pollution. In this study, we review the distribution and migration of arsenic in the mining area, focus on the geochemical cycle of arsenic under the action of microorganisms, and summarize the factors influencing the biogeochemical cycle of arsenic, and strategies for arsenic pollution in mining areas are also discussed. Finally, the problems of the risk control strategies and the future development direction are prospected.

Simple and Fast Two-Step Fully Automated Methodology for the Online Speciation of Inorganic Antimony Coupled to ICP-MS

A very simple, fast and non-chromatographic methodology for inorganic antimony speciation based on Multisyringe Flow Injection Analysis (MSFIA) employing online hydride generation (HG) ICP-MS was developed. The fully automated analysis is performed in two steps: firstly, Sb(III) is quantified by ICP-MS after chemical vapor generation; then, total antimony is determined in the presence of potassium iodide as a pre-reducer of Sb(V) to Sb(III). The Sb(V) concentration is quantified by the difference between the total antimony and Sb(III) concentrations, reaching an analysis frequency of 30 h−1. The optimization was performed using a Box Behnken design. The MSFIA-HG-ICP-MS system allows the antimony speciation analysis with a detection limit of 0.016 µg L−1 for Sb(III), working in a linear range of 0.053 to 5.0 µg L−1. This method was applied for the determination of Sb(III) and Sb(V) in water samples from Maiorca Island, Spain, and the concentrations found varied from 0.10 to 0.14 µg L−1 for Sb(III) and from 0.12 to 0.28 µg L−1 for Sb(V). The results were validated by addition/recovery tests, obtaining recoveries between 90 and 111% in both cases. Furthermore, a good precision was achieved, 1.4% RSD, and sample and reagent consumption were reduced to a few mL, with the consequent decrease in waste generation. Thus, the proposed method is a good tool for the speciation of inorganic antimony at ultra-trace levels in waters, allowing its risk assessment.