What does Phytostimulation mean?

Phytostimulation, also referred to as enhanced rhizosphere biodegradation, rhizodegradation, or plant-assisted bioremediation/degradation, is the breakdown of organic contaminants in the soil via enhanced microbial activity in the plant root zone or rhizosphere.

What is meant by bioremediation?

Bioremediation is a process that uses mainly microorganisms, plants, or microbial or plant enzymes to detoxify contaminants in the soil and other environments.

What is the process of phytoremediation?

Phytoremediation basically refers to the use of plants and associated soil microbes to reduce the concentrations or toxic effects of contaminants in the environment. Phytoremediation is widely accepted as a cost-effective environmental restoration technology.

What are the disadvantages of Phytoextraction?

As with all remediation techniques, phytoextraction has a limited effectiveness. Its two main limitations are: metal toxicity to plants at high concentrations and the cost to dispose of the plant tissues.

What plants remove toxins from the soil?

Familiar plants such as alfalfa, sunflower, corn, date palms, certain mustards, even willow and poplar trees can be used to reclaim contaminated soil – a cheap, clean and sustainable process. The term, phytoremediation, can be best understood by breaking the word into two parts: “phyto” is the Greek word for plant.

Which bacteria is used for bioremediation?

Microorganisms and pollutants (Tables 1-5)

How safe is bioremediation?

Is bioremediation safe? Bioremediation is very safe because it uses the same microbes that already naturally occur in soil or water. This process simply adds more of these organisms to those already present. No dangerous chemicals are used in the process and harmful contaminants are completely destroyed.

Can plants absorb heavy metals?

Many species of plants have been successful in absorbing contaminants such as lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, and various radionuclides from soils. Some metals with unknown biological function (Cd, Cr, Pb, Co, Ag, Se, Hg) can also be accumulated [5].

Is used in phyto remediation?

Phytoremediation is a plant-based approach, which involves the use of plants to extract and remove elemental pollutants or lower their bioavailability in soil (Berti and Cunningham, 2000). Plants have the abilities to absorb ionic compounds in the soil even at low concentrations through their root system.

How is rhizofiltration related to the remediation process?

Rhizofiltration is based on the adsorption process, in which aqueous contaminants are adsorbed onto the plant roots. Further, absorption into the plant roots also favors this bioremediation. This remediation is facilitated by root zone (rhizosphere) surrounded by contaminated waters.

Which is the lowest cost plant for rhizofiltration?

Trees are the lowest cost plant type. They can grow on land of marginal quality and have long life-spans. This results in little or no maintenance costs. The most commonly used are willows and poplars, which can grow 6 – 8’ per year and have a high flood tolerance.

How is rhizofiltration similar to phytoextraction and blastofiltration?

Phytofiltration is the use of plant roots ( rhizofiltration) or seedlings (blastofiltration), is similar in concept to phytoextraction, but is used to absorb or adsorb pollutants, mainly metals, from groundwater and aqueous waste streams rather than the remediation of polluted soils.

Where was rhizofiltration demonstrated at the DOE facility?

Rhizofiltration also has been demonstrated at a DOE facility in Ohio. 1. Dushenkov, V, P.B.A.N. Kumar, H. Motto, and I. Raskin, 1995, Rhizofiltration: The Use of Plants to Remove Heavy Metals from Aqueous Streams, Environmental Science and Technology, 29 (5), pp. 1239-1245. 2.