48DESIGN OF PHYTOREMEDIATION AT CONTAMINATED SITES |
J.L. Schnoor, Department of Civil and Environmental Research, 116 Engineering Research Facility, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 |
Phytoremediation is the use of vegetation for in situ treatment of hazardous wastes. It is a form of ecological engineering that has proven effective and relatively inexpensive at several pilot and full-scale sites. Plants have shown the ability to withstand greater concentrations of organic pollutants than most microorganisms, and they can take up chemicals quickly and convert them to less toxic metabolites. In addition, they stimulate the degradation of organic chemicals in the rhizosphere by the release of root exudates, enzymes, and the build-up of organic carbon in the soil.
In this summary paper, recent research results will be presented on the design of pilot remediation efforts using hybrid poplar trees for atrazine, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), and BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes). Key findings include the importance of treatability studies to determine relative toxicity and degradation rates, simple hydrologic modeling to estimate the "capture zone" of the trees, and planting densities and depths required to adequately treat soil to "action levels" in a specified amount of time. The release of VOCs through leaf tissue to the atmosphere and the creation of "bound-residue" in the plant are issues that can only be addressed with treatability studies in the laboratory and greenhouse prior to final design. Key words: phytoremediation, hazardous wastes, bioremediation, contaminated soils, ground water.
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