Friendly forests

Conference · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:391148

Miller, J A

Removal of releases of petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons from soil and groundwater has been a nationwide effort since the mid-1980s. Successes have been rare. Mechanical removal systems have been found to require an inordinate amount of time. Bioremediation has used existing, added, or altered microorganisms to metabolize or biodegrade hydrocarbons. Problems with delivering the microorganisms directly to the hydrocarbon and specific site factors have combined to thwart or slow bioremediation. Phytoremediation uses plants to biodegrade shallow soil contamination in the rhizosphere. Trees are used to extract groundwater from aquifers and simulate a pumping system for contaminated groundwater plume control. Simultaneously, the trees create a rhizosphere biodegradation zone and extract hydrocarbons through uptake in the transpiration stream. Phytoremediation is proposed for environmental cleanup of historical contamination as a method that will occur in place, at a reasonable cost, and require little maintenance. The initiative of one major oilfield service company at a Louisiana site is described. The effort commenced in June 1995 with the planting of 92 hybrid poplar trees for the purposes of (1) controlling groundwater movement, (2) uptaking constituents from soil and groundwater, and (3) enhancing bioremediation of soil and groundwater in the rhizosphere. Results to date are reported.

• OSTI ID: 391148
• Report Number(s): CONF-960623--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUIFERS
AROMATICS
BIODEGRADATION
COST
FORESTS
GROUND WATER
HYDROCARBONS
PETROLEUM
REMEDIAL ACTION
ROOT ABSORPTION
SOILS
TREES
UPTAKE