Examples of Organizations
Supporting Phytoremediation R&D
[ Government Agencies ] [
Academic Research Projects ] [ Private Sector Companies ] [
links to
phytoremediation employment ]
Government-Sponsored
Research
US Military Research Studies
Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence,
Brooks AFB, TX
AFCEE is currently conducting several phytoremediation
demonstrations,
- A "mature tree" study has been completed at Cape Canaveral Air
Station.
- Long-term tests of the ability of trees to control the
movement
of groundwater at Travis AFB, CA and Altus AFB, OK.
- Five large-scale plantings planned for Fairchild, Offutt, Hill
and Whiteman AFBs.
Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas
USDA/ ARS
- Using
Superplants to Clean Up our Environment, an introduction to
phytoremediation research at ARS,
- Metal-Scavenging
Plants to Cleanse the Soil, Rufus L. Chaney and colleagues,
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD, from
Agricultural Research, USDA-ARS, November 1995, p. 4-9.
- Phytoremediation:
Using Plants To Clean Up Soils, a popular article about the work
of ARS plant physiologist Leon V. Kochian, and
- Kenaf
and Canola—Selenium Slurpers, research that is part of Water
Quality and
Management, an ARS program described in this [ link
].
USEPA
- Report: Phytoremediation
of
TCE in Groundwater Using Populus. This report was
prepared under grant for EPA by Jonathan Chappell, a National Network
of Environmental Management Studies fellow. The publication
provides a basic understanding and current status of phytoremediation
for shallow groundwater.
- Phytoremediation
of TCE: The Use of Poplar trees to Remediate Chlorinated
Organic Contaminants. Professor Milton Gordon, University of
Washington's
Superfund Basic Research Program. Includes links to progress
reports 1995 - 2000.
- Treeting
Contamination:
A Natural Cleanup Alternative (page 12 of link) by John
Wrobel,
Steve Hirsh, and Harry Compton
"Poplar trees are turning out to be a natural choice for cleaning up
a U.S. Army site in Maryland. A stand of 184 hybrid poplars, planted in
1996, are helping to contain toxic substances in the soil and
groundwater, through a process called phytoremediation, on the J-Field
at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG). No ordinary field of trees, the
poplars are the subject of a five-year project conducted by a team of
representatives from EPA Region 3, EPA's
Environmental Response Team, the U.S. Army, and the Maryland Department
of the Environment, to investigate pilot-scale applications of
innovative
technologies."
- Duckweed pesticide metabolism: EPA research
shows that duckweeds and certain other aquatic plants are promising for
their
metabolism of DDT and organophosphorus pesticides.
DOE-Sponsored
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
- Phytoremediation of TCE -- A Field Demonstration. "The
study involves the planting and cultivation of eastern cottonwood
(poplar) trees above a plume of dissolved trichloroethylene (TCE) in a
shallow aquifer. Data are being collected to determine the trees'
ability to perform as a natural pump-and-treat system."
US Government Books on
Phytoremediaton
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Academic Research
This is just a small sample of what is being
done. I will be adding more material to this section.
Ilya
Raskin, Rutgers University, AgBiotech Center, New Brunswick,
NJ
Research Interests: III. Phytoremediation: Using Plants to
Remove Pollutants (toxic metals) from the Environment.
Understanding the physiological,
biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in metal uptake,
accumulation and resistance.
Developing genetic approaches to improve
phytoremediation.
Kevan
Gartland, Plant Biotechnology Research Group, Division of
Molecular & Life Sciences, University of Abertay Dundee, Dundee,
Scotland, DD1 1HG, UK.
Research Interests: Selected tree species as heavy
metal removers, for use in polluted locations.
Tracy
Punshon, University of Georgia
Savannah River Ecology Lab, Aiken SC
Research Interests: Hybrid poplar,
Trichocarpa deltoides, developing these fast-growing,
adaptable trees into phytoremediators able to cope with a realistic
mixture of contaminants.
Also see this [ link
] on hybrid poplars and water quality from the University of Wisconsin.
See Conferences Section for
links to many published abstracts. Many past conference links also have
abstracts
on-line.
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Last update: July 8, 2005