BZ572 - Phytoremediation

Elizabeth Pilon-Smits
Biology Department
E413 ANAZO

491-4991
epsmits@lamar.colostate.edu

Lets hear from you

Please write on piece of paper:
Degree, major/department, reg./auditing?
What is your career goal?
How does phytoremediation fit in?
Any particular aspects of phytoremediation
you are most interested in?

BZ572 Course Info

Text:

webct

No book, only papers from course website

Topics:

- Intro to phytoremediation
- Phyto of inorganics*)
- Phyto of organics*)
- 1 Lab expt, 1 trip to a lab, 1 field trip (if interest),
5 guest lectures, in-class exercises, job info
*) mechanisms of uptake, translocation, detoxification,
effects of soil, microbes on remediation, approaches to
enhance phyto efficiency, including genetic engineering

Grading: Conventional, no curving

Exams: 50% of total grade
- 1 midterm + 1 final exam (not comprehensive)
essay questions

Term paper & presentation: 30% of grade

- write web page/proposal/review + present

In-class participation: 20% of grade

- lab report, in-class group assignments,
literature discussions

Introduction to Phytoremediation
History
Status
Uses
Advantages
Limitations
Phytoremediation strategies

History of phytoremediation
for centuries: wetlands used for
waste treatment in Europe
last century: metal hyperaccumulator
plants discovered - used as indicators for mining
1970s: - clean water act, clean air act
1980s:
- superfund act (1986 - 8.5 billion $)
- idea to use hyperaccumulator
plants for metal cleanup (Chaney)

History of phytoremediation (cont.)

1994: phytoremediation term coined

(Ilya Raskin)

massive interest from gov. & industry

- DOE phytorem. workshop
- first phytorem. company (Phytotech)
1995: first phytorem. conference

phytoremediation takes off

History of phytoremediation (cont.)

(Raskin)

1994: Term phytoremediation first used

1995: First phyto conference

Columbia MO

2000: EPA phyto conference

2000: 1st phyto faculty positions
2000: 1st phyto course (this one)
2001, 2003: 1st, 2nd phyto call for proposals

(NSF/EPA/DOE)

2000, 2001: 1st, 2nd professors in phyto

(U Mich, U S-Carolina)

Status of phytoremediation
U.S. phytoremediation market

(Glass, 1999, 2004 pers. comm.)

1999
2004

$ 30 - 49 million / yr
$ 100-150 million / yr

World phytoremediation market

1999
$ 34 - 58 million
Total remediation market
US: $ 6-8 billion/yr
World: $ 25-50 billion/yr

Status of phytoremediation (cont.)

9 purely phytorem. companies
7 constructed wetland companies
> 40 consulting/engin. companies
that also do phytoremediation
~200 field projects
- funded mostly by EPA, DOD, DOE
- some commercial/joint projects

Uses of phytoremediation
Remediation of different media:

air
soils, sediments
groundwater
wastewater streams
- industrial
- agricultural
- municipal, sewage

Uses of phytoremediation (cont.)

Remediation of different pollutants:
inorganics:
-

metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Hg)

metalloids (Se, As)
nutrients (K, P, N, S)
radionuclides (Cs, U)

organics:
-

PCBs
PAHs
TCE
TNT
MTBE
pesticides
petroleum
hydrocarbons
Etc.

Uses of phytoremediation (cont.)

Remediation using different systems:
farming polluted soil
irrigation with polluted groundwater
letting trees tap into groundwater
letting plants filter water streams
constructed wetlands, hydroponics

different systems: Hydraulic barrier

different systems:
Vegetative cap

different systems:
Constructed wetlands

different systems:
hydroponics with polluted wastewater

Roots of mustard
Extend into effluent
Acting as filters for heavy metals

Uses of phytoremediation (cont.)

Remediation using different plants
Properties of a good phytoremediator:
high tolerance to the pollutants
high biomass production, fast growth
large, deep root system
good accumulator/degrader of pollutant
able to compete with other species
economic value

Uses of phytoremediation (cont.)

Popular plants for phytoremediation

trees
yellow poplar

various organics
metals

gum
tree

poplar

willow

Uses of phytoremediation (cont.)

Popular plants for phytoremediation (cont.):

Brassicaceae:
For inorganics

grasses

Thlaspi
Alyssum

Brassica juncea

Uses of phytoremediation (cont.)

Popular plants for phytoremediation (cont.):

various grasses
for organics
hemp
buffalo grass

red fescue

for inorganics
kenaf
bamboo

Uses of phytoremediation (cont.)

salicornia

Popular plants for phytoremediation

aquatic plants

cattail

parrot feather

halophytes
for inorganics
for organics
poplar, willow

reed

spartina

Phytoremediation

Solar energy

In situ

Fossil fuels for energy

Ex situ

Mechanical/chemical treatment

Soil washing
Excavation + reburial
Chemical cleanup of soil/water
Combustion

Phytoremediation vs.
Mechanical/chemical treatment

Advantages of phytoremediation
Cheaper ~10 - 100x

Excavation & reburial: up to $1 million/acre

Revegetation: ~$20,000/acre

Phytoremediation vs.
Mechanical/chemical treatment
Advantages of phytoremediation (cont.)
Less intrusive
Can be more permanent solution
Better public acceptance

Phytoremediation vs.
Mechanical/chemical treatment (cont.)

Limitations of phytoremediation
Can be slower
Limited by rate of biological processes
-Accumulation in plant tissue: slow
e.g. metals: average 15 yrs to clean up site
- Filter action by plants: fast (days)
- Metabolic breakdown (organics): fairly fast
(< 1yr)

Phytoremediation vs.
Mechanical/chemical treatment (cont.)
Limitations of phytoremediation (cont.)
Limited root depth

Trees > prairie grasses > forbs, other grasses

Max depth ~5 m
Can be increased
up to 20m with
deep planting

Phytoremediation vs.
Mechanical/chemical treatment (cont.)
Limitations of phytoremediation (cont.)
Plant tolerance to pollutant/conditions
- Bigger problem with metals than organics
- Can be alleviated using amendments, or
treating hot spots by other method

Bioavailability of contaminant
- Bioavailability can be enhanced by amendments

So, when choose phytoremediation?

Sufficient time available
Pollution shallow enough
Pollutant concentrations not phytotoxic
$$ limited
Phyto may be used in conjunction with
other remediation methods

Note:

For very large quantities of mildly

contaminated substrate:
phytoremediation only cost-effective option

Phytoremediation processes

Phytoremediation processes

phytostabilization

 Phytostabilization:
pollutant immobilized in soil
- Metals
- Non-bioavailable organics

1. Plants reduce leaching, erosion, runoff

pollutant stays in place
2. Plants + microbes may transform pollutant
to less bioavailable form
(e.g. metal precipitation on roots)

Phytoremediation processes

phytostimulation

 Phytostimulation: plant roots stimulate

degradation of pollutant
by rhizosphere microbes
Organics

e.g. PCBs, PAHs

bacteria, fungi

Phytoremediation processes

phytodegradation

 Phytodegradation:
plants degrade pollutant,
with/without uptake, translocation
Via enzymes,

e.g. oxygenases
nitroreductase

Certain organics

e.g. TCE, TNT, atrazine

in tissues or
in root exudate

Phytoremediation processes
phytoextraction
accumulation

 Phytoextraction: pollutant accumulated

in harvestable plant tissues
mainly inorganics:
metals
metalloids
radionuclides

Plant biomass may be used

(e.g. to mine metals, or non-food industrial use)

or disposed after minimizing volume

(incineration, composting)

Phytoremediation processes

phytovolatilization

 Phytovolatilization: pollutant released

in volatile form into the air

some metal(loid)s: Se, As, Hg

some volatile organics: TCE, MTBE

Phytoremediation applications may involve

multiple processes at once

accumulation
volatilization

stabilization

degradation

Rhizofiltration

water

 Rhizofiltration: pollutant removed from

water by plant roots in hydroponic system
for inorganics

metals
metalloids
radionuclides

Plant roots & shoots harvestable

(may be used to mine metals)
or disposed after minimizing volume

 Hydroponics for metal remediation:

75% of metals removed from mine drainage

Rhizofiltration
Involves:
phytoextraction
phytostabilization

 Constructed wetland for Se remediation:

75% of Se removed from ag drainage water

Involves:
phytoextraction
phytovolatilization
phytostabilization
(rhizofiltration)
(phytostimulation)

 Natural attenuation: polluted site left alone

but monitored
Vegetative cap: polluted site revegetated,
then left alone, monitored

with/without
adding
clean topsoil

Hydraulic barrier

Water flow redirected

Pollutants intercepted

H2O

Phytoremediation project (1996-)

(Phytokinetics inc.)

Oregon site
Soil polluted with PAHs
Planted with grass (Lolium perenne)

Results:
bare soil: some PAH removal
vegetated soil: increased PAH removal (~4x)
Process? Phytostimulation/phytodegradation

Phytoremediation project (1995-1998)

(Phytotech inc.)

New Jersey site

Soil polluted with lead (Pb)
Planted with Indian mustard (Brassica juncea)
Results (after 3 growing seasons):
bare soil: 6% reduction in Pb
vegetated soil: 29% reduction in Pb
Process?

Phytoextraction

Phytoremediation project (1997)

(COE)

Mississippi site
Groundwater polluted with TNT
pumped through constructed wetland
Results:
95% reduction in TNT

endogenous plant enzymes found to

degrade TNT

Process?

Phytodegradation

Some light reading:

Print from Course Website
EPA: Citizens guide to Phytoremediation
EPA: Citizens guide to Natural Attenuation
Pilon-Smits, 2005
Phytoremediation (review)
Ann Rev Plant Biology