Phytoremediation of organic pollutant and heavy metal (HM) co-contaminated soils shows many advantages and can be improved by adding chemical reagents or inoculating with degrading bacteria. In this study, pot culture experiments were performed to explore the effects of chemical reagents (nitrilotriacetic acid and alkyl polyglucoside), pyrene degrading bacteria HD-1, and their combination on phytoremediation efficiency for pyrene and nickel (Ni) co-contaminated soil by Scirpus triqueter. After a 60-day culture, plant biomass, pyrene dissipation from soil, Ni accumulation in plant, and Ni accessibility in co-contaminated soil were determined. Results showed that although the application of chemical reagents alone had no apparent effect on plant growth, their combination with the introduced HD-1 alleviated the inhibition effects on plant growth in co-contaminated soil. The dissipation of pyrene in the soil with plant (P), soil with bacteria (NPB), soil with chemical reagents (NPC) and soil with both of them (PBC) were 35.49, 51.36, 42.89, and 59.78%, respectively, and were higher than NP (19.52%) with neither of them. The Ni concentration in Scirpus triqueter of group with bacteria (PB), group with chemical reagents (PC) and group PBC increased to 100.40, 80.97 and 87.77 mg kg−1 respectively when compared with that of group P (46.04 mg kg−1) without bacteria or chemical reagents. Besides, inoculation with HD-1 or/and adding chemical reagents caused Ni to shift from less bioavailable forms to more bioavailable forms. This study suggested the contribution of pyrene degrading bacteria and chemical reagents to Scirpus triqueter phytoremediation of pyrene and Ni co-contaminated soil.

To understand the accumulation and uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals by plants is an important part of the assessment of phytoremediation for PAHs and heavy metals co-contaminated soil. This study was an investigation of the accumulation and uptake of pyrene and lead (Pb) by Scirpus triqueter under the condition of alkyl polyglucoside (APG) and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) combined application. The results indicated that the accumulation of Pb by S. triqueter was significantly improved by NTA and APG addition into the soil. The pyrene accumulation in plant was also increased after application of APG when compared to the control treatment. However, the pyrene accumulation was decreased when APG was applied together with NTA. SEM and TEM images of root surface suggested that more Pb in the soil transferred to the plant by combined application of APG and NTA. More importantly, TEM images of xylem cells of S.triqueter root showed that permeability of cell membrane was improved by application of APG.

•Porous and low-density cellulose-based aerogels were synthesized via a facile way.•Cellulose-based aerogels were made from waste biomass (Eichhornia crassipes).•Cellulose-based aerogels were made using polyvinyl alcohol as cross-linker.•Excellent sorption capacity and recyclability made the aerogel an effective sorbent.The elastic cellulose-based aerogels (CBAs) with highly porous (99.56%) and low-density (0.0065 g cm− 1) were prepared using Eichhornia crassipes as cellulose source and polyvinyl alcohol directly as cross-linker via a facile and environment-friendly process. The prepared CBAs exhibited excellent oil/solvent sorption capacities (60.33–152.21 g g− 1), super-hydrophobicity (water contact angle of 156.7°) as well as remarkable reusability. More importantly, the absorbed oil could be quickly recovered by simple squeezing without significantly structure damage (at least 16 times). All these merits make CBAs very promising materials for oil spillage cleaning.Fabrication process of CBAs.Download high-res image (113KB)Download full-size image

•Root components promoted pyrene removal and bioaccessibility in pyrene soils.•Root components changed structure of microorganisms and enhanced their biomass.•Relationships between pyrene removal, enzymes and microbes varied with pollutants.Though phytoremediation is deemed as a promising approach to restore polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) contaminated sites, studies about how the biodegradation of PAHs is enhanced still remains incomprehensive. Effects of root components on pyrene bioaccessibility, soil enzymes and microbial communities were explored in the paper, and their interactions in simulated pyrene and pyrene-diesel spiked microcosms were tried to give a reasonable explanation. Results indicated that root components enhanced the pyrene removal of bioaccessible and adsorbed fractions by 16.10 and 1.80 mg kg− 1, respectively, in pyrene-spiked soils at the end of the experiment. By contrast, root components increased the degradation of bioaccessible fraction by only 3.3 mg kg− 1 in pyrene-diesel spiked soils. Although the bound fractions of pyrene increased over time in treatments without root components, they remained relatively stable, ranging from 0.02 to 0.03 mg kg− 1, in root components amended treatments. Activities of soil enzymes (polyphenol oxidase, catalase, invertase, urease and alkaline phosphatase) varied differently in response to pollutants and root components. Analysis of phospholipid fatty acids revealed that root components increased the biomass of soil microorganisms and altered the microbial structure. Pearson correlation analysis proved positive correlations between all the microbial subgroups and pyrene removal in pyrene-spiked soils, but the degradation of bioaccessible pyrene was only positively related with microorganisms confirmed by monounsaturated fatty acids in pyrene-diesel spiked soils.Download high-res image (222KB)Download full-size image

•Nitrilotriacetic acid improved Cd/Pb absorption in root interior in co-contamination.•APG induced more heavy metals to gather on the root surface in co-contamination.•Coexistence metal increased bioaccumulation of another metal with combined addition.•APG and NTA significantly enhanced phytoremediation of Pb and Cd contaminated soils.Phytoremediation of heavy metals contaminated soils shows many advantages and it can be improved by adding chelating agents and surfactants. In this study, pot culture experiments were set up to explore the effect of alone application of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and combined application of NTA and alkyl polyglucoside (APG) on changes in absorption and adsorption of heavy metals by root of Scirpus triqueter and bioaccumulation of metals in single or co-contamination. Different additives were added into the soils artificially after 10 d and heavy metals extracted from different plant tissues were analyzed after 60 d. Results showed that more cadmium (Cd) was adsorbed on the root surface while more lead (Pb) was absorbed in root interior with the combined application of NTA and APG during phytoremediation of single contaminated soil. In co-contaminated soils, such a combined application not only strengthened the plant growth, but also promoted accumulation of Pb and Cd by Scirpus triqueter. NTA improved absorption amounts of Pb (9.7-fold) and Cd (1.0-fold) in root interior significantly. APG induced more metals to gather on the root surface in the presence of NTA and the adsorption amounts of Pb and Cd ranged from 26.2 and 17.7 mg kg−1 to 412 and 46.0 mg kg−1 respectively. Besides, the coexistence metal increased bioaccumulation of another metal under combined application of NTA and APG in co-contamination of Pb and Cd. In conclusion, the combined application of NTA and APG would be beneficial to accumulate Pb and Cd from contaminated soils by Scirpus triqueter.

The key components of S. triqueter root exudates involved 4-oxo-pentanoic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, phthalate acid, citric acid, vanillic acid, myristic acid, pentadecanoic acid, decanoic acid, 14-methyl-pentadecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid and oleic acid, and the content of the water-soluble organic acids (citric acid, succinic acid and glutaric acid) significantly increased in pyrene and lead co-contaminated rhizosphere soil. These three water-soluble organic acids including citric acid, succinic acid and glutaric acid were detected as the specific root exudates of S. triqueter under stress of pollutants for pyrene and lead, so they were chosen as the research objects, and they were added into the bioremediation systems of pyrene and lead co-contaminated wetland soils. Compared with the control, the treatments added the three organic acids always improved the quantity of the bioavailable fraction of pyrene and lead in wetland soils and greatly influenced other chemical states of pyrene and lead fractions in the test concentration range. Under the 50 g kg−1 of organic acids concentration, the amount of the bioavailable fraction of pyrene and lead increased 41.0 and 872.7 % by citric acid, respectively. The enhancement of bioavailability of pyrene and lead in the wetland soil by adding organic acids generally decreased in the following order: citric acid > succinic acid > glutaric acid. Enhancing effects of organic acids on the bioavailability improvement of pyrene and lead is remarkable.

Diesel spills may considerably damage the sensitive coastal wetlands along Huangpu River, Shanghai, China. In this experiment, Cyperus rotundus, a dominant coastal marsh plant, was cultured in diesel-contaminated soils at concentrations of 0, 1000, 5000, 10,000, 15,000 and 20,000 mg kg−1 to investigate its phytoremediation potential. In this study, plant biomass, removal characteristic of diesel, redox potential, and activities of urease, dehydrogenase, and polyphenoloxidase in soils were determined after 50-day pot experiments. The results demonstrated that soils planted with Cyperus rotundus had significantly less diesel than did unplanted soils. The residual concentrations of alkanes in soils at 10,000 mg kg−1 after 50 days showed that 52.9–92.0 % of Fraction a (C14–C19) and 47.8–64.4 % of Fraction b (C20–C27) were removed in unplanted soils, while more than 90 % of both Fractions a and b were removed in planted soils. The peak value of urease and dehydrogenase activities was at 15,000 mg kg−1 of diesel-contaminated concentration; however, the peak value of polyphenoloxidase activity appeared at 10,000 mg kg−1. It was deduced that the diesel concentration between 10,000 and 15,000 mg kg−1 might be a limit which Cyperus rotundus could tolerate diesel pollution.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of combination of alkyl polyglucoside (APG) and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) on improving the efficiency of phytoremediation for pyrene and lead (Pb) co-contaminated soil by Scirpus triqueter.Seedlings of S. triqueter with a similar size and biomass (3 g/pot) were grown on 2-month aged soil contaminated with 184.5 mg kg−1of pyrene and 454.3 mg kg−1 of Pb at pH = 8.3. After growth for 10 days, different doses of APG and NTA were added into the soil. After 60 days, the height of plants, Pb concentrations in plants, and pyrene amounts in soil were determined.Combined application of NTA and APG with lower dosage (1 + 1 g kg−1 soil and 1 + 2 g kg−1 soil) had no notable negative influence on the growth of S. triqueter. Moreover, significant synergy on Pb accumulation in S. triqueter was achieved with APG and NTA combined application. Besides, the dissipation of pyrene from soil after 60-day planting was increased in APG and NTA treatments when compared with the control treatments. Application of APG alone or combined with NTA had greater effect on enhancing dissipation of pyrene from soil than NTA alone.This study demonstrated that the remediation of Pb and pyrene co-contaminated soil by S. triqueter can be enhanced by combined application of APG and NTA. Long-term evaluation of this strategy is needed in co-contaminated field sites.

•Studies were conducted to evaluate acetic anhydride and styrene modified RP.•The sorption kinetics was well described by the pseudo-second-order model.•AP and SP can be used as the biodegradable oil sorption materials.•The study result provides an effective recycling way to reuse pomelo peel.Pomelo peel (PP), as one of the well-known agricultural wastes, is cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Based on PP, two new kinds of oil sorbents were prepared by using acetic anhydride and styrene. The structures of raw pomelo peel (RP), acetic anhydride-treated pomelo peel (AP) and styrene-treated pomelo peel (SP) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact-angle (CA) measurements. The optimum reaction conditions for preparation of AP and SP were also investigated. The resulting products exhibited better oil sorption capacity than that of RP for diesel and lubricating oil, also SP had better oil sorption capacity than AP, while the oil sorption capacities of SP for diesel and lubricating oil reached 18.91 and 26.36 g/g, respectively. Adsorption kinetics was well described by the pseudo-second-order model. The results indicated that AP and SP, especially SP could be used as the substitute for non-biodegradable oil sorption materials.

Graphene (GN) is a two-dimensional carbon material with highly hydrophobic and oleophilic properties, and it is prepared by a modified Hummers Method. In this study, superhydrophobic and superoleophilic polyurethane (PU) sponge was fabricated by coating graphene onto it. The contact angle of the coated sponge was as large as 156.1° for water, and 0° for pump oil, soybean oil, and diesel oil. The absorption capability of the coated sponges was up to 60 times their own weight. Additionally, the coated PU sponges could be reused for oil–water separation for more than 60 cycles without losing their superhydrophobic-superoleophilic properties. Therefore, the sponges can be used for the cleanup of oil spills from a water surface.

Four kinds of surfactants were used to increase accessibility of pyrene and cadmium (Cd) in simulated pyrene, Cd, and pyrene-Cd soils in this study. Tea saponin (TS) at 40 mg L−1 groups (exchangeable fraction of Cd and bioaccessible fraction of pyrene were 8.96 and 36.93 mg kg−1) showed more preferable potential application in improving solubilization capability than other surfactants. The morphology of Cd was transformed from Fe-Mn oxides (8.86 to 7.61 and 8.67 to 7.99 mg kg−1 in Cd and pyrene-Cd soil) and associated to carbonates fractions (4.46 to 4.36 and 4.28 to 4.36 mg kg−1 in Cd and pyrene-Cd soil) to exchangeable fraction with adding TS. These two morphological changes were important processes in the solubilization of Cd. The morphology of pyrene was transformed from associated fraction (72.15 to 61.95 and 71.02 to 63.48 mg kg−1 in pyrene and pyrene-Cd soil) to bioaccessible fraction (26.66 to 33.71 and 26.91 to 36.93 mg kg−1 in pyrene and pyrene-Cd soil) with adding TS. This morphological transformation was important in the improving of solubilization capacity of pyrene. In contrast, the solubilization of pyrene was promoted in the presence of Cd in pyrene-Cd soil (the bioaccessible fractions were 33.71 and 36.93 mg kg−1 in pyrene and pyrene-Cd soil), but the solubilization of Cd was hindered in the presence of pyrene (the exchangeable fractions of Cd were 8.86 and 8.67 mg kg−1 in Cd and pyrene-Cd soil). These findings will be beneficial for application of surfactants in soil remediation.

The preparation, by a freeze–thaw method, of new graphite/isobutylene-isoprene rubber (IIR) sorbents for oil and organic liquid is described. Graphite was expected to improve the adsorption properties. The cryogels were prepared by solution crosslinking IIR rubber in the presence of graphite in benzene at various temperatures, using sulfur monochloride as the crosslinker, and characterized by SEM and contact angle measurements. The dried cryogels, with interconnected macropores were sponge-like soft materials, with excellent buoyancy and hydrophobicity. They also showed excellent sorption characteristics, with the best sample exhibiting maximum sorption capacities of 17.8 g g–1 for crude oil, 21.6 g g–1 for diesel oil, and 23.4 g g–1 for lubricating oil, respectively. The samples also showed excellent sorption capability for organic liquids, absorbing up to around twenty times their own mass. After rapid and effective desorption, taking just 3–5 h, the cryogels were recovered. They could also be reused more than 30 times by simply centrifuging to remove the sorbed liquid. These characteristics mean that the cryogels prepared in this study are promising materials for removal of large-scale oil or toxic organic spills.Keywords: cryogelation; graphite; isobutylene-isoprene rubber; macroporous; oil adsorption; porous polymer;

This research evaluated the effects of alkyl polyglucoside (APG), an environment-friendly surfactant, on the removal of anthracene (ANT), phenanthrene (PHE), and pyrene (PYR) from the soil cultivated with Scirpus triqueter, an aquatic native pioneer plant in the Yangtze estuarine wetland, China. Soils spiked with about 200 mg kg−1 of ANT, PHE, and PYR were individually irrigated with 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, and 150 mg L−1 of APG. Plant biomass yields, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) removal rates, soil microbial, and soil enzyme activities were quantified after 90 days’ cultivation of Scirpus triqueter. Experiments demonstrated that APG has an ability to facilitate PAHs degradation at appropriate concentrations. The highest removal rate of the PAHs was observed in 40 mg L−1 APG treatment, and the removal rates increased 23, 54, and 52 %, respectively, compared to the non-amended control pots. However, the PAHs removal rate decreased to a certain extent when high concentrations of APG were added. The effect on PAHs removal in the soil could be explained by the changed levels of plant biomass, soil microbial populations, and soil enzymatic activity affected by the APG. The results suggested that the use of Scirpus triqueter combined with APG was an effective means for the phytoremediation of the PAH-contaminated soil. At the same time, APG’s optimal concentration should be determined before the application in the PAH-contaminated wetlands.

Oil spills may considerably damage sensitive coastal wetlands. The phytoremediation potential and restoration of a dominant coastal marsh plant, Cyperus rotundus, for diesel pollutant and its phytoremediation effectiveness were investigated in this open-air pot experiment. Cyperus rotundus was transplanted into soil contaminated with diesel at concentrations of 1 000, 5 000, 10 000, 15 000, 20 000 mg/kg. In order to better elucidate the biochemical and physiological responses to diesel pollutants, activity of the antioxidant enzymes peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbic acid oxidase (AAO) were determined in the plant tissue after 50 d treatment at the levels mentioned above. The results showed that CAT and AAO of stem and leaf exhibited peak enzyme activities on 15 000 mg/kg soil and 10 000 mg/kg soil respectively, and declined at higher concentrations. Additionally, the increment of biomass and the content of soluble protein, as well as chlorophyll content were affected by diesel. The highest restoration effectiveness appeared at the level of 5 000 mg/kg. Collectively, Cyperus rotundus is a potential plant which can be used for restoring the diesel-contaminated soil.

Daqing Wetland was contaminated by heavy metals for holding lots of industrial and domestic waste water. Due to their high stability and non-degradation, heavy metals are possible to gather in human body through the food chain and then threaten health. Water samples were collected from Longfeng Wetland and lake marshes in the vicinity of Daqing City. The contents of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni) were determined, and the contamination degrees were evaluated simultaneously. The results indicate that heavy metals of Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr and Pd have contaminated the Longfeng Wetland severely. In addition the concentrations of Cr and Cd in some lakes around oil wells are excessively high, and have overrun the grade V based on the threshold values of surface water given by the National Environmental Protection Agency of China. Some measures have to be taken to tackle heavy metal contamination of Longfeng Wetland and lake marshes in Daqing City.

Oil contaminated soil was collected from Huangpu River-Yangtze River estuary wetland, with the aim of isolating oil-degrading microorganisms and evaluating their ability to degrade diesel. Three bacterial strains were discovered and identified by sequencing their 16S rDNA genes, two were Pseudomonas and one was Alcaligenes. The proper growth conditions of each bacterium were measured and presented for diesel biodegradation. Biodegradation assays revealed that the degradation rates of three bacterial strains were 42.5%, 14.6% and 15.9% in 7 d respectively. They all play an important role on the n-alkanes within the range of C16–C25 components of diesel. The results indicated that the oil-degraders can adapt to degrade diesel. The bacterial strains can be used in wetland diesel pollution control.

•Crude oil degradation was enhanced by co-cultures with Bacillus subtilis.•Bacillus subtilis ZF3-1 was found to be long-chain n-alkanes degrading strain.•Burkholderiales order was enriched after inoculation of Bacillus subtilis.The aim of this work was to study biodegradation of crude oil by defined co-cultures of indigenous bacterial consortium and exogenous Bacillus subtilis. Through residual oil analysis, it is apparent that the defined co-culture displayed a degradation ratio (85.01%) superior to indigenous bacterial consortium (71.32%) after 7 days of incubation when ratio of inoculation size of indigenous bacterial consortium and Bacillus subtilis was 2:1. Long-chain n-alkanes could be degraded markedly by Bacillus subtilis. Result analysis of the bacterial community showed that a decrease in bacterial diversity in the defined co-culture and the enrichment of Burkholderiales order (98.1%) degrading hydrocarbons. The research results revealed that the promising potential of the defined co-culture for application to degradation of crude oil.

The diesel contaminants in the sediments of Huangpu-Yangtze River estuary (HYRE) affect the ecosystem seriously. The effects of four species of indigenous plants, Scirpus triqueter (Scirpus tripueter L.; STL), reed (Phragmites australis; PA), Herba caricis phacotae (Carex phacota Spr.; CPS) and Sagittaria sagittifolia (S. sagittifolia L.; SSL), with oil-degrading bacteria (M) isolated from the oily HYRE wetland on the degradation ratio of diesel were evaluated by simulation experiments. The results showed that oil-degrading bacteria enhanced the degradation ratio of diesel. Besides, the indigenous plants combine with oil-degrading bacteria further improved the degradation ration. The diesel amount decreased about 76–80% (at 15,000 mg kg−1 diesel level) in the presence of PA & M, STL & M, SSL & M and CPS & M during the 60 d of experimental period. STL & M, SSL & M exhibited preferable degradation ratio at various diesel concentration throughout the whole experiment. The wetland plants with the oil-degrading bacteria showed a marked capability to degrade diesel contaminants.

•Plants were inoculated with PGPB to remediate pyrene-Ni co-contaminated soil.•Inoculation plants with PGPB increased the bioavailability of Ni.•Inoculation plants with PGPB significantly decreased amount of bioaccessible pyrene.•Inoculation plants with PGPB promoted the degradation of pyrene.•Pyrene hindered the inoculated plants from accumulating Ni to some extent.At present, few reveal the mechanism of inoculation plants with PGPB to remediate PAH-metal co-contaminated soil by analyzing the chemical speciations of contaminants. This study investigated the influence of inoculation plants with PGPB on different fractions of pyrene and Ni in rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soil. The results demonstrated that the addition of PGPB brought the extensive increase of FDA activities in pyrene-Ni co-contaminated soil. PGPB increased the resistance of plants in nickel and pyrene-Ni contaminated soil, but decreased the plant biomass in single pyrene contaminated soil. The addition of PGPB efficiently decreased bioaccessible fractions of pyrene and increased the bioavailability of Ni in both rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soil. Although inoculation plants with PGPB significantly increased the accumulation of Ni in single Ni and pyrene-Ni co-contaminated soil, the poor bioavailability of Ni in rhizospheric soil still restricted the phytoremediation of the heavy metal. The presence of pyrene hindered the inoculated plant from accumulating Ni to some extent. On the contrary, the presence of Ni significantly promoted the degradation of pyrene in both rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soil after inoculation plants with PGPB.Download high-res image (139KB)Download full-size imageFew reveal the mechanism of inoculation plants with PGPB to remediate PAH-metal co-contaminated soil by analyzing the chemical speciations of contaminants. This literature investigated the influence of inoculation plants with PGPB on different fractions of pyrene and Ni in rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soil. FDA activities were studied to determine the activities of soil microorganisms. In addition, plant dry weight was studied to reflect the resistance of the inoculated plants to environmental stress. The addition of PGPB increased the tolerance of plants in Ni and Ni-pyrene contaminated soil, especially in single Ni-contaminated soil, but not increased the plant biomass in single pyrene-contaminated soil. Compared to single pyrene contaminated soil, the presence of Ni significantly promoted the degradation of pyrene in both rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soil. On the contrary, the presence of pyrene hindered the inoculated plant from accumulating Ni to some extent.

Because of widespread use of petroleum, the Huangpu-Yangtze River estuary (HYRE) wetland has been polluted by accidental spills. The technology to degrade these compounds is a major goal of environmental research. This study isolated oil-degrading microorganisms from oil contaminated wetland in the HYRE. Three bacterial strains were discovered, and identified by sequencing their 16S rDNA genes. Two of them were Pseudomonas and the other one was Alcaligenes. Diesel biodegradation potential of these indigenous oil-degrading microorganisms(HPM) and HPM co-metabolize with the native plant Carex phacota Spr.(CPS) were assessed. During the 60-day experiment, soil samples were collected and analyzed periodically to determine the residual diesel content and microbial populations. The results showed that the oil-degrading microorganisms isolated from the HYRE wetland had a certain degradation effect on diesel. Within 60 days, the relative degradation rates of microorganisms were 8.05∼36.59%; and under the combined effects of microorganisms and plants, the degradation rates of diesel could reach 28.28∼52.94% at different concentration of diesel. They all play a good role on the n-alkanes within the range of C18∼C24 components of diesel. Results indicated that the oil-degrading bacteria isolated from the HYRE wetland have a certain degradation effect on diesel. The co-metabolize of plants and microbes would increase the diesel biodegradation rate. The plants and the oil-degraders in wetland could be reasonably matched to control the diesel pollution of wetland sediment.

Oil spills may considerably damage sensitive coastal wetlands. In this open-air pot experiment, Reed, a dominant coastal marsh plant, was transplanted into soil contaminated with diesel at concentrations of 1 000, 5 000, 10 000, 15 000 and 20 000 mg diesel kg-1 dry soil. In order to better evaluate the phytoremediation potential and restoration of Reed, the chlorophyll content, root vitality, activity of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbic acid oxidase (AAO) in plant tissue and the dissipation rate of diesel were investigated after 50 days of treatment at the levels mentioned above. The results showed that the activities of POD in root, CAT, and AAO in stem increased first, and declined at higher concentrations. Additionally, the increment of chlorophyll content and root vitality were observed, indicating that Reed was tolerant to diesel, especially when the concentrations of diesel was lower, which was also proved by the highest restoration effectiveness at the lower levels of diesel. Collectively, Reed is a potential plant which can be used for restoring the diesel-contaminated soil.