317/319 phytoremediation site monitoring report - 2005 growing season.
In 1999, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) designed and installed a series of engineered plantings consisting of a vegetative cover system and approximately 800 hybrid poplars and willows rooting at various predetermined depths. The plants were installed using various methods including Applied Natural Science's TreeWell{reg_sign} system. The goal of the installation was to protect downgradient surface and groundwater by hydraulic control of the contaminated plume by intercepting the contaminated groundwater with the tree roots, removing moisture from the upgradient soil area, reducing water infiltration, preventing soil erosion, degrading and/or transpiring the residual volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and removing tritium from the subsoil and groundwater. This report presents the results of the monitoring activities conducted by Argonne's Energy Systems Division (ES) in the growing season of 2005. Monitoring of the planted trees began soon after the trees were installed in 1999 and has been conducted every summer since then. As the trees grew and consolidated their growth into the contaminated soil and groundwater, their exposure to the contaminants was progressively shown through tissue sampling. However, as trees grow larger, some of the findings obtained in the early years when trees were much smaller may not hold true now and need to be verified again. During the 2005 sampling campaign, data from the French Drain area confirmed the results obtained in 2004 and earlier, and the previously found correlation between soil and branch concentrations. During the 2005 summer, studies under controlled conditions (cartridges) have shown a generally linear dose response of PCE uptake, and have also shown that tree concentrations of PCE decrease after flushing with clean water in short times when trees are exposed to low levels of the contaminant. This data proves that tree concentrations are transient, and that with proper time levels can return close to background levels when exposure is removed. Further study of the results and additional future experiments under constant supply will also allow us to confirm that the oscillations found in the tree branches are indeed derived to changing supply of the contaminant in the soil solution or gases. They will also allow us to optimally estimate the amounts of chemicals that are removed from the system by plant uptake.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- EM
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 960343
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/ES/RP-118752; TRN: US200923%%481
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- ENGLISH
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