Ageing decreases the phytotoxicity of zero-valent iron nanoparticles in soil cultivated with Oryza sativa

This paper was aimed to study the impact of “ageing” (aged in non-saturated soil for 2 and 4 weeks prior to exposure) nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) on the terrestrial plant. The effects of nZVI on Oryza Sativa germination, seedlings growth, chlorophyll biosynthesis, oxidative stress and the activities of antioxidant enzymes at low (250 mg/kg) and high (1000 mg/kg) concentrations were investigated in this study. The results showed that neither the freshly added nor the “ageing” nZVI to the soil had a significant effect on germination, regardless of concentration. At the low concentration, the freshly added nZVI had no visible toxic effects on the rice seedlings growth, but the rice seedlings exhibited obvious toxic symptoms at the high concentration. At the high concentration, toxicity effects of nZVI were reduced after aging with 2 and 4 weeks in soils compared to fresh nZVI, but the “ageing” nZVI continued to significantly inhibit the rice seedlings growth compared with the control, and the inhibition rates of 2 and 4-week-old nZVI were not significantly different. The mechanism of ageing decreased the phytotoxicity of nZVI was due to nZVI particles incomplete oxidation, and some of which had remained in the soil after 4 weeks aged.