viii
Preface
G4687 entitled Phytotechnology for Cleaning Contaminated Military Sites.
Many of the results of the NATO project have been published in journals
with citations and references included in this book. The contents of the book
include results from research completed as part of the NATO project but also
results from other studies. From 1990 to the present, there has been a great
progress related to sites with metals and sites with organic contaminants.
Military sites and lands contaminated by mining, pesticides, petroleum, and
chlorinated solvents are included.
One of the reasons to make use of phytotechnology with biomass production at contaminated sites is to restore the site to a useful state where biomass
is being produced, soil quality improvement is happening, and organic carbon is being sequestered in the soil. The process of establishment of vegetation after an industrial site or mining site has been closed can benefit from
the application of soil amendments and efforts to modify the physical properties of the soil. The health of the ecosystem can be improved through better
understanding of the biological populations and their contributions to soil
health.
Miscanthus is a large perennial and rhizomatous grass imported to Europe
from East Asia as an ornamental plant in the 1930s. In 1990 it started to
be investigated as an energy crop, and since 2000 there has been research
and development on applications of its biomass as a raw material in different industries. While there are a variety of Miscanthus species, most of
the research has been with Miscanthus × giganteus (M.× giganteus), which is a
hybrid of Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchiflorus. Miscanthus shows
the highest harvest among second-generation crops; it can reach a height of
3 m; the crop has a C4 photosynthetic pathway, an excellent environmental
profile to increase soil carbon, nutrients, and biodiversity. Miscanthus needs
to be planted only once; it has the potential to provide annual harvests for
20 years, because it is a perennial, nutrient runoff and leaching are small.
The yield of a fully established plantation is often between 10 and 20 t ha −1
on a dry matter basis with values as large as 25–30 t ha −1 depending on local
conditions and agricultural practices. The energy content is comparable to
wood with values around 17 MJ t −1 of dry biomass.
Since 2000 there has been an increased effort to grow M. × giganteus on
contaminated soils at postindustrial and former military sites and on marginal and abandoned lands. The biomass yield is often lower, and this has
stimulated phytomanagement research on improving soil quality and biomass production. Generally two main approaches are under consideration:
adding different amendments to improve soil quality and actions to affect
the rhizomes and plants such as adding plant growth regulators. Soil amendments include fertilizers, biosolids, biochar, manure, sludge, compost, and
activated carbon. The addition of microorganisms such as endophytes and
plant growth-promoting bacteria and chemicals such as plant growth regulators are beneficial for Miscanthus.
Preface
G4687 entitled Phytotechnology for Cleaning Contaminated Military Sites.
Many of the results of the NATO project have been published in journals
with citations and references included in this book. The contents of the book
include results from research completed as part of the NATO project but also
results from other studies. From 1990 to the present, there has been a great
progress related to sites with metals and sites with organic contaminants.
Military sites and lands contaminated by mining, pesticides, petroleum, and
chlorinated solvents are included.
One of the reasons to make use of phytotechnology with biomass production at contaminated sites is to restore the site to a useful state where biomass
is being produced, soil quality improvement is happening, and organic carbon is being sequestered in the soil. The process of establishment of vegetation after an industrial site or mining site has been closed can benefit from
the application of soil amendments and efforts to modify the physical properties of the soil. The health of the ecosystem can be improved through better
understanding of the biological populations and their contributions to soil
health.
Miscanthus is a large perennial and rhizomatous grass imported to Europe
from East Asia as an ornamental plant in the 1930s. In 1990 it started to
be investigated as an energy crop, and since 2000 there has been research
and development on applications of its biomass as a raw material in different industries. While there are a variety of Miscanthus species, most of
the research has been with Miscanthus × giganteus (M.× giganteus), which is a
hybrid of Miscanthus sinensis and Miscanthus sacchiflorus. Miscanthus shows
the highest harvest among second-generation crops; it can reach a height of
3 m; the crop has a C4 photosynthetic pathway, an excellent environmental
profile to increase soil carbon, nutrients, and biodiversity. Miscanthus needs
to be planted only once; it has the potential to provide annual harvests for
20 years, because it is a perennial, nutrient runoff and leaching are small.
The yield of a fully established plantation is often between 10 and 20 t ha −1
on a dry matter basis with values as large as 25–30 t ha −1 depending on local
conditions and agricultural practices. The energy content is comparable to
wood with values around 17 MJ t −1 of dry biomass.
Since 2000 there has been an increased effort to grow M. × giganteus on
contaminated soils at postindustrial and former military sites and on marginal and abandoned lands. The biomass yield is often lower, and this has
stimulated phytomanagement research on improving soil quality and biomass production. Generally two main approaches are under consideration:
adding different amendments to improve soil quality and actions to affect
the rhizomes and plants such as adding plant growth regulators. Soil amendments include fertilizers, biosolids, biochar, manure, sludge, compost, and
activated carbon. The addition of microorganisms such as endophytes and
plant growth-promoting bacteria and chemicals such as plant growth regulators are beneficial for Miscanthus.