38
Phytotechnology with Biomass Production
3.1 Introduction
There have been many studies of phytoremediation where organic contaminants are present and are the focus of the research or the cleanup.
Phytoremediation with biomass production to obtain useful products is the
emphasis in this book, but is far less common. If remediation goals at a site
can be profitable because a useful product is harvested and sold, this has
value for the project. With organic contaminants, it is possible to restore land
to a state of productive use. In this chapter the emphasis will be on both soil
remediation and how it can be accomplished by plants that have economic
value. Miscanthus × giganteus (M. × giganteus) is the primary focus of this
book, but because there is a dearth of information about the use of that plant
in remediation of organics, most examples are drawn from other species.
3.2 Types of Organic Contaminants
There are many organic compounds present in soil and ground water as contaminants. Petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contaminated soil is one of the
major areas of investigation and application as PHCs are among the most prevalent pollutants in the environment (e.g., Abdullah et al., 2020). For example,
in Canada, approximately 60% of contaminated sites involve PHC contamination, often impairing the quality and uses of land and water (CCME, 2008).
Hence, large land areas such as closed petroleum refineries, soils associated
with restoration of coalmine lands, and spills at petroleum production areas
need to be remediated. Explosives in soil are important in this book because
of the emphasis on content that is of interest to NATO. Wood treatment sites
with creosote, aircraft de-icing chemicals near airports, and many types of
solvents at dry cleaners and vehicle repair shops are present in many countries. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as the industrial chemicals,
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides like DDT are present in soil
as contaminants at many locations worldwide (Tarla et al., 2020). These organic
contaminants adversely affect human and environmental health globally as
they are subject to long-range transport via slow global distillation and persist
in soils long after their initial deployment (Chlebek & Hupert-Kocurek, 2019).
3.2.1 Remediation of Petroleum Contaminants
Petroleum spills and leaking tanks have resulted in many sites where
organic compounds are present in soil. There is a significant literature on
phytoremediation and bioremediation of soils with petroleum contaminants
Phytotechnology with Biomass Production
3.1 Introduction
There have been many studies of phytoremediation where organic contaminants are present and are the focus of the research or the cleanup.
Phytoremediation with biomass production to obtain useful products is the
emphasis in this book, but is far less common. If remediation goals at a site
can be profitable because a useful product is harvested and sold, this has
value for the project. With organic contaminants, it is possible to restore land
to a state of productive use. In this chapter the emphasis will be on both soil
remediation and how it can be accomplished by plants that have economic
value. Miscanthus × giganteus (M. × giganteus) is the primary focus of this
book, but because there is a dearth of information about the use of that plant
in remediation of organics, most examples are drawn from other species.
3.2 Types of Organic Contaminants
There are many organic compounds present in soil and ground water as contaminants. Petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contaminated soil is one of the
major areas of investigation and application as PHCs are among the most prevalent pollutants in the environment (e.g., Abdullah et al., 2020). For example,
in Canada, approximately 60% of contaminated sites involve PHC contamination, often impairing the quality and uses of land and water (CCME, 2008).
Hence, large land areas such as closed petroleum refineries, soils associated
with restoration of coalmine lands, and spills at petroleum production areas
need to be remediated. Explosives in soil are important in this book because
of the emphasis on content that is of interest to NATO. Wood treatment sites
with creosote, aircraft de-icing chemicals near airports, and many types of
solvents at dry cleaners and vehicle repair shops are present in many countries. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as the industrial chemicals,
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides like DDT are present in soil
as contaminants at many locations worldwide (Tarla et al., 2020). These organic
contaminants adversely affect human and environmental health globally as
they are subject to long-range transport via slow global distillation and persist
in soils long after their initial deployment (Chlebek & Hupert-Kocurek, 2019).
3.2.1 Remediation of Petroleum Contaminants
Petroleum spills and leaking tanks have resulted in many sites where
organic compounds are present in soil. There is a significant literature on
phytoremediation and bioremediation of soils with petroleum contaminants