This page is meant to allow exchange of information and suggestions
between people interested in Phytoremediation.
To publish your requests on this page, send me an e-mail at admphyto@dsa.unipr.it
You can answer directly the questions asked, a copy of your reply will
be mailed also to my address. If the reply is of general interest, it will
be published in this page.
What issues concerning phytoremediation classify it as a sustainable
practice?
The use of phytoremediation as opposed to bringing heavy machinery
on site or pumping water out of the groud for treatment, is obviously a
more sustainable way to go about treatment of the site. What besides
this are reasons for the sustainability of phytoremediation?
Ben Gramig
Natural Resource Conservation & Management major
University of Kentucky
#23 On November, 27th, 1998, Desmond Dev Menon wrote:
I am a Ph.D. student of the
Earth Science Dept. of Monash University of Australia. I have currently
commenced my study on the fundamental mechanisms and processes involved
in the accumulation and translocation of such heavy and noble metals from
soils contaminated with them,either naturally through mineral deposition
or through human impacts. As part of the study i will also be investigating
how the state and forms of these heavy metals present in the soils affect
their uptake as well. As such these specifics are not clearly understood.
I was wondering if anyone has done similar research or knows of projects
done
with this focus in mind.
sincerely,
Desmond
Desmond Dev Menon
Ph.D. Student
Earth Science Dep.
Monash University
E-mail: quaron@hotmail.com
#22 On November, 23rd, 1998, Melanie Murphy wrote:
I am an undergrad student at the University of Waterloo, Canada doing a Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) grant proposal for an ecology course. I would appreciate any information on using phytoremediation for hydrocarbon contamination. I am particularly interested in species of plants effective in remediating BTEX, associated costs, and methodological considerations. Any other information would also be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much!
Melanie Murphy
#21 On November, 16th, 1998, Judith Haensler wrote:
I am a doctorand working in the field of phytoremediation of cadmium and lead from contaminated soils by annual plants. For this purpose an artificial culture system (sand and ion-exchanging particles) is used. I am interested in any information about recent phytoremediation-work with cadmium and lead. Any experience with culture-systems in remediation-works or with field-experiments would be of particular interest as well.
Any incoming information is welcome!
Thank you,
Judith Haensler
Judith Haensler
Institut für ökologische Pflanzenphysiologie
und Geobotanik/ Abt. Geobotanik
Universitätsstr. 1
40225 Düsseldorf
E-Mail: Haensler@Uni-Düsseldorf.de
#20 On November, 11th, 1998, Pieter Vervaeke wrote:
In our research group we are working on the afforestation of dredged
silt depots. In a future experiment we are planning to plant 1 metal accumulating
Salix clone and 1 non metal accumulating Salix clone. The problem is that
we need a large amount of willow material: 1200 rods (2 m long) of each
clone. Can somebody help me out?
- Does anybody has information on the metal accumulating properties
of the commercial Salix clones ORM, RAPP, ULV, TOR and JORN?
- Are there other clones (accumulating - non accumulating) available
in such quantities which may be better alternatives?
- If yes, where can we get them?
All input and comments are welcome. Thanks,
Pieter Vervaeke
Laboratory of forestry
Geraardsbergse steenweg 267
9090 Gontrode
Belgium
++32-(0)9-2522113
++32-(0)9-2525466
Pieter.Vervaeke@rug.ac.be
#19 On November, 10th, 1998, Jacob Gudbjerg wrote:
I would like to know if anybody has any experiences with phytoremediation
of cyanide contaminated soil at for instance old gas works sites.
Jacob Gudbjerg
Environmental graduate student at the Technical University of Denmark
#18 On November, 2nd, 1998, Bob Ventorini wrote:
I am currently investigating the feasibility of employing phytoremediation technologies for PCB/phthalate contaminated soils. Any information would be very much appreciated.
Bob Ventorini
Environmental Scientist
Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA
bventorini@cecinc.com
#17 On October, 30th, 1998, Matt Palmer wrote:
I am a sophmore in High School. I am doing a science/research report on phytoremediation. I am particularly interested in lead/mercury contamination. Has anyone had a contractor or done something themselves who has performed a pilot/full scale testing on phytoremediation? I would like to hear from anyone with any information. I would be particularly happy if anyone has any final reports! Thank you for taking the time to read this!
#16 On October, 26th, 1998, Abdul Khan wrote:
We are currently surveying various heavy metal contaminated sites in New South Wales, Australia for heavy metal accumulator/resistant plants and their associated microbes, especially mycorrhizae. Glass house experiments involving combination of various plants, heavy metals, phytochelating agents, etc. is under investigation. (See our recent publication : Khan et al.Water,Air, and Soil Pollution 104: 389-402.1998).
We would like to share our experiences with others.
Dr. Abdul G. Khan
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Western Sydney - Macarthur
Campbelltown NSW 2560
AUSTRALIA
Phone: 246 - 203237 Fax: 246 - 203025
#15 On October, 22nd, 1998, Benjamin Klein wrote:
I am currently a 9th grade high school student in Pennsylvania.
For the past two years I have competed in a science for known as Pennsylvania
Junior Academy of Science. I have become very interested in phytoremediation
and have decided to do a project dealing with phytoremediation and the
cleanup of oil using alfalfa.
I was wondering if you could
direct me on the right path, and give me some background information relating
to this project, or cite some helpful sources. Also, if you could
tell me a little about growing the alfalfa, and the tests you can run to
see what effects the alfalfa has on soil, that would be great. Do
you test both the soil and alfalfa to get results?
I'm sorry for taking up your time, and I thank you for reading my letter. I will kindly be awaiting a response and hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks again,
Ben
#14 On October, 20th, 1998, Tania Birkemeyer wrote:
Hi, I am gathering information on the potential of phosphorous removal
by means of phytoremediation systems.
It seems that the binding of the ions in the sediments (expecially
if Al and other cations rich) is the primary removal mechanism, although
its efficiency is low. Thus, the phyto- approach is not advised for phosphorous.
Nevertheless, I would have more details in terms of uptake by plants (maybe
acquatic or submerged macrophytes ... Lemna, Ceratophyllum, Myriophyllum...?).
Can someone help me ?
Thank you,
Tania Birkemeyer
#13 On October, 19th, 1998, Andrew Monheim wrote:
Hi, I am a student doing research and a potential project for science fair using grasses, through the process of phytoremediation to remove pollutants from a soil mixture that I'im brewing. I need to know what grasses to use for phytoremediation of a petroleum product.
Andrew Monheim PA
#12 On October, 10th, 1998, David Tsao wrote:
Does anyone know whether there are complimentary plant hardiness zone maps (similar to the USDA's) for other regions of the world beside North America? I have conducted an internet search but have been unsuccessful at locating a map other than N.Am. I would appreciate any assistance in locating such maps.
Thanks,
David Tsao, Ph.D
Amoco Research Center, 150 W. Warrenville Rd MC H-7, Naperville, IL
60563
Phone: 630-420-4321 FAX: 630-420-5016
Email: david_t_tsao@amoco.com
#10 On September, 11th,1998, Donald Deasaulniers wrote:
Hello,
I am an environmental consultant/contractor working on a site remediation project involving a spill of some 46,000 L of diesel fuel in a small marsh in northern Canada.
Now that much of the fuel has been recovered, we are looking alternate approaches to enhance biodegradation and phytoremediation of the residual fuel that cannot be physically recovered in the marsh.
I would be interested in communicating with anyone having experience with enhanced in-situ bioremediaiton or phytoremediation of diesel fuel in wetlands. Otherwise I would appreciate any references to pertinent literature or case histories.
Thanks
Donald Desaulniers, Ph.D.
Bio Gio Environment inc.
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#9 On September, 10th, 1998, Chris Collins wrote:
Dear All,
I am working on the phytoremediation of sites contaminated with organic
pollutants. Brassica crops have been used/proposed for the remediation
of sites contaminated with heavy metal pollutants. Is anyone aware of previous
work using Brassicas for the remediation of organic pollutants?
Dr. Chris Collins
Research Fellow in Pathways of Man Made Contaminants
Imperial College Centre for Environmental Technology,
T. H. Huxley School of Environment, Earth Science and Engineering,
Silwood Park, Ascot, Berks.,
SL5 7PY,
United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 1344 294277
Fax: +44 1344 624931
Email: c.collins@ic.ac.uk
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#8 On August, 27th, 1998, Patricia Medeiros wrote:
I have property on a pond/river in Connecticut that suffers from mercury
pollution. The pond is one of many in this area that has met that
fate. The pollution stems from industrial practices early in the
century and does not continue at this point. The level of pollution
is unclear but residents are advised not to eat the fish that are caught
there. Most of the wells of residents are hand dug, shallow and subject
to flooding several times a year. No laboratories in the state will
test for mercury so it is unclear if our wells are contaminated.
I need to locate information on ways in which to remediate the pollution
if that is possible, a list of laboratories
that could test well water for contamination, and any information concerning
the polluting product in general. While I am not a scientist in this
area I do have an advanced degree in anthropology and believe that I am
capable of reading journals or papers. I really must educate myself
about this problem and learn what steps, if any, can be taken to remediate
this form of pollution. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated,
Sincerely, Patricia Medeiros
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#7 On August, 14th, 1998, Thomas Barron wrote:
I am contacting you as part of some advance work I am doing in anticipation of a project to demonstrate techniques for removing heavy metals from high flow / low concentration stormwater runoff.
Both biological (phytoremediation/rhizofiltration) and machine-based metals removal systems that have been used for stormwater treatment or groundwater remediation are of interest to the project. We are looking for systems that work with copper, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc.
Have you or any of your colleagues evaluated the technical/economic feasibility of such systems, or are you aware of reports (or web sites) that feature such evaluations? Any literature, references, or contacts that you can share or send to me would be appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
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#6 On July, 24th, 1998, Stephen Waite wrote:
I have been undertaking some preliminary and very small scale lab based experiments on the possible use of 'salt-tolerant' plants for the removal of heavy metals from soils. I would be very interested in discussing the possibility of this approach and of any work you are currently undertaking or planning to undertake.
I look forward to receiving your comments/views.
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#5 On July, 20th, 1998, Jason Brown wrote:
Hello, I am involved with a remediation project in Chicago. I was curious about the feasibility of using phytoremediation to clean up contaminants such as PAH's in the soil of a residential neighborhood. If so, what do you think are the best plants for the job?
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#4 On July, 20th, 1998, Osman El Tayeb wrote:
I am investigating groundwater hydrodynamics in a semi- arid area in
central Sudan. Three different hydraulic gradients are characterized the
area. The flow seems to under unsteady state conditions and the area of
discharge lies to the Southwest. Groundwater discharge through evapotranspiration
is the only possibility to account for this hydraulic gradient. Several
acacia species are densely spread out in the discharge area. However, the
depth to the groundwater is more than 40 meter.
I am looking forward to have information answering the following
questions:
1- How deep can the roots of acacia trees penetrate into the soil?
2- How much is the daily water demand of an acacia tree?
3- Has groundwater salinity any influence on the growing of these trees?
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#3 On July, 9th, 1998, Stephen Ebbs wrote:
I am a post-doctoral associate working on a phytoremediation project at the U.S. Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Lab (USDA-ARS, Cornell University) under Dr. Leon Kochian. Our group is currently investigating a number of issues related to the phytoremediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn) and radionuclides (137Cs, 90Sr, U). I would like to request assistance from the list members in locating a source of Cd-contaminated soil. Much of my work has focused on testing plants and amendments on Zn- and U-contaminated soil. I would like to expand this work to include a more high priority contaminant, cadmium. Specifically, I am interested in further investigating the role of synthetic chelates in inducing Cd accumulation by plants. To further broaden the study and increase its applicability, I plan to couple this study with a lysimeter study, examining the impact of chelates on Cd mobility and toxicity within the soil. To my knowledge there is little, if any, literature examining this aspect of phytoremediation, a gap which, in my opinion needs to be addressed if chelate application is to become an integral part of the phytoremediation biotechnology.
In order to proceed, however, I would like to obtain soil in which Cd
is the sole, or at least the predominant, contaminant. The soil should
one that contains a moderate to high level of Cd, is reasonably fertile,
and is a reasonable target soil for phytoremediation. I would like
a fairly large amount of soil (100-200 kg) to facilitate a more thorough
experimental
design and to preclude the need to obtain a second sample, should I
decide to expand the scope of this work.
If any of the list members could refer me to an individual or organization who might be able to provide this soil, I would be extremely grateful.
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#2 On June, 23rd, 1998, Igor Kondzielski wrote:
We (it means the research team member of which I am) have a problem
with a ground contaminated with a petrol and its products, which has to
be remediated. The best solution is to choose the bioremediation technique,
but... I think about accelerate the process using some vascular plants.
This technique, as I remember is called "bioremediation in the rizosphere".
There is another problem: The layer of the contaminants is really very
close to the ground water layer so there is a possibility of its contamination
during the process. Can anybody suggest me some vascular plants species
which are suitable for support the bioremediation (or perform the remediation
themselves) and at the same time create something like the living vegetation
filter protecting groundwater table? This is very important for me
as we start this in a few weeks and we have to decide what technique (in-situ
or ex-situ) chose. Again I will appreciate all the comments and suggestions
on this subject.
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#1 On June, 23rd, 1998, Igor Kondzielski wrote:
Has anybody any experience with using halophytes in phytoremediation or can say something about this? During my literature studies I found few papers on this subject and I was trying to do something in this field, but I had to give up. The problem seems for me to be interesting so any comments will be much appreciated