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Phytoremediation

Posted by michael on from the nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind dept.

Mr.Intel writes "Wired has an article up about an 18 year old biology whiz who has done some very interesting research on phytoremediation (plants used to clean contaminated soil). This type of soil remediation is very eco-friendly compared to traditional methods but requires about 10 to 20 years to be effective. Marc Burell (the kid who did the experiments) used wheat to remove lead from soil in Mississippi."

2 of 15 comments (clear)

  1. Great, but... by fluffhead · · Score: 3, Insightful

    then what do you do with the wheat? You can't eat it, and if you bury it you are back to square one.

    --

    #include "disclaim.h"
    "All the best people in life seem to like LINUX." - Steve Wozniak
    1. Re:Great, but... by Jeremy+Gray · · Score: 2, Insightful

      A quick read of the article gives the obvious answer: the plants are harvested and either the contaminants are extracted or the plants are disposed of as hazardous waste.

      The benefits of this procedure over excavation and contaminant extraction should be equally obvious.