By: David Gonzalez Danny Poslet Brittany Seyler (GPS)

 - The process of removing contamination from soil or water using plants.

 TCE (Trichlorethylene)- is a solvent that has been widley used as a spot remover in the dry cleaning industry for degreasing engine turbines as an ingredient for paints and cosmetics. Also it has been used as a anesthetic.  Lead  Heavy metals  Toxins

The first process is Phytodegradation, which is when a plant takes in TCE and degrades it into CO2 and chlorinebefore released into the atmosphere. Another process is phytovolatilization which is when some chemicals are taken in and through the xylem and converted into a gas through the stomata of the plant. When plants go throught these processes they leave chemicals in stem for easy harvest.

 Cat tail  Poplar tree Hyperaccumulators like Thlaspi possess genes that regulate the amount of metals taken up from the soil by roots and deposited at other locations within the plant. (K ) Alpine pennycress doesn't just thrive on soils contaminated with zinc and cadmium it cleans them up by removing the excess metals.

Arsenic Cadmium Lead Aluminum Beryllium Copper Iron Mercury Nickel These persist in soils and are toxic to animals even in small quantities

 Let’s see do the cost out way the benefits?  Estimated cost are 50%-80% lower than clean up stratigies invloving digging and dumping contaminated soil elsewhere.  Also the stems of the plants can be harvested or up rooted and stored away.  A negative effect though is that the plants leaves my release contaminents into the atmosphere but the plant will still help remove chemicals from polluted areas.  Phytoremediation has promise for other contaiminets including tnt and other heavy metals.

 B2RSw B2RSw