Chernobyl Nuclear Plant The Use of Phytoremediation to Clean Up Soils

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Chernobyl Nuclear PlantThe Use of
Phytoremediation to Clean Up Soils
Allie Williams Kathleen Paintin
Ruth Calderon Kelli Bird
PSES 3411 Dr. Robinson November 29, 2004
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Chernobyl Introduction

• April 25th -26th 1986
• Former USSR, now known as Ukraine
• Most notable industrial accident in history of
  humankind

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Chernobyl Introduction(continued)

• Released one hundred times more radiation than
  the atom bombs dropped over Hiroshima and
  Nagasaki
• 30 people died immediately
• A 20- mile radius had to be evacuated due to
  high radiation levels
• 135,000 people were evacuated

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Extent of Radioactive Contamination

• The majority of the contamination lies in Belarus
• Up to 70 of the fallout was located here
• Of the total area of Belarus, 22 was
  contaminated with more than 1 Ci/km2 137Cesium
• Radiation also spread over large parts of
  Scandinavia, Poland, and the Baltic states, as
  well as southern Germany, Switzerland, northern
  France, and England

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Consequences For the Soil

• Where 137cesium has been deposited in the soil,
  it will persist for years in the uppermost layers
• The forest floors are still particularly severely
  contaminated
• Roots, needles, and leaves store radiation like a
  filter
• In clay and sandy soils, the downward migration
  of cesium is very slow

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Food Chain Bioaccumulation

• Contaminants in the soil come up through the
  plants
• 137Cesium
• Strontium
• Plutonium
• Iodine

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Food Chain Bioaccumulation(continued)

• Grazers such as livestock and wildlife feed on
  these contaminated plants
• Contaminants accumulate in the meat and milk
  products
• In the rivers and lakes of the contaminated
  territories, radiation has concentrated
  particularly in the sediments
• Because fish are bottom feeders, they are
  contaminated as well
• Fish, milk, and other meat products are consumed
  by humans

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Prevention of Toxin Spreading

• Determined that livestock should feed only on
  uncontaminated plants
• Very hard to control
• Avoid eating contaminated food
• Also very hard to control

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Food From Contaminated Areas

• Mushrooms, berries, and game taken form an
  important part of the rural diet
• Elderly women collect mushrooms from
  contamination site
• Contamination in food not an issue of concern any
  longer
• All children have immune system deficiencies,
  frequent bronchitis, low hemoglobin levels, and
  heart problems due to radiation

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Phytoremediation

• Dr. Raskin of Rutgers University Biotechnology
  Center
• Use of green plants or vascular plants to clean
  up or control hazardous wastes
• A generic term used for several different
  methods in which plants can be used to clean up
  contamination
• Used mainly at Chernobyl for cleaning up 137Cesium

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Benefits of Phytoremediation

• Aesthetic benefits
• Low energy costs due to solar energy
• Can break down some organic wastes
• Cost effective

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Benefits of Phytoremediation(continued)

• Requires less human contact with contaminated
  area compared to chemical or physical remediation
• Environmentally safe
• Does not produce additional waste
• Waste-eating bacteria are self sustaining
• Do not require additional products in the soil to
  survive

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Drawbacks to Phytoremediation

• Disposal of harvested plants
• Technologies, today are still in early research
  stages
• Lengthy to work
• Stop wildlife from feeding on plants
• Small number of known plant species that have
  remediative abilities

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Types of Phytoremediation

• Rhizofiltration
• Phytoextraction
• Phytostabilization
• Phytodegradation
• Phytovolatilization
• Rhizodegradation

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Rhizofiltration(metals)

• Roots systems in plants absorb contaminants such
  as heavy metals and radionuclides from water and
  take these contaminants up to the leaves and
  stems
• Similar to phytoextraction

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Phytoextraction(metals)

• Uses plants to absorb contaminants such as heavy
  metals from soil into roots and harvestable parts
  like stems and leaves
• Also known as phytoaccumulation
• Used at Chernobyl

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Phytostablization(metals)

• Uses plants which are tolerant of contaminants in
  soil such as heavy metals to reduce contaminants
  mobility and prevent further environmental
  contamination
• Leaching into groundwater
• Becoming airborne by wind erosion

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Phytodegradation(organics)

• Plant assisted bioremediation in which
  degredation of contaminants such as various
  organic compounds occurs during a plants
  metabolic process or is influenced by plant root
  and soil microbial activity

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Rhizodegradation(organics)

• Breakdown of organic contaminants in the soil by
  soil dwelling microbes which is enhanced by the
  rhizospheres presence

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Phytovolatilization(organics)

• Plants uptake contaminants which are water
  soluable and release them into the atmosphere as
  they transpire the water
• The contaminants volatilize into the air

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Efficiency of Phytoremediation

• Relies on plant properties and the activities of
  micro-organisms associated with the rhizosphere
• Measured by the ability of the plant to remove
  large quantities of contaminants as quickly as
  possible while doing little or no harm to the
  environment

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Efficiency of Phytoremediation(continued)

• Largely based on its benefits over other forms of
  remediation

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Studies

• February 1996, Phytotech (a New Jersey based
  company)
• Helianthus (sunflower)
• 1998, Phytotech, Consolidated Growers and
  Processors (CGP), and the Ukraines Institute of
  Bast Crops
• Cannabis (hemp)

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Studies(continued)

• Brassica juncea (indian mustard)
• Uptake of some heavy metals, radionuclides, and
  other inorganic cnemicals
• Phytotech
• Entry et. Al, 1999
• Paspalum notatum (Bahjia grass)
• Sorghum halpense (johnson grass)
• Panicum virgatum (switch grass)

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Studies(continued)

• Consolidated Growers and Processors (CGP),
  Phytotech, and Ukraines Institute of Bast Crops
• 1998
• Planted industrial hemp, Cannabis, to remove
  contaminants from Chernobyl
• Dr. Slavik Dushendov of Phytotech
• One of the best phytoremediative plants which has
  been found to reduce contaminants

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Cannabis sativa
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Fruit of Brassica juncea
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Helianthus
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Conclusions

• Phytoremediation is great in theory, however, the
  risks out weigh the benefits at this point
• Disturbing the soil even slightly poses the risk
  of releasing contaminants further into the
  environment
• There is a risk to animals after consuming the
  toxic plant tissues
• Can circulate throughout the food chain

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Conclusions(continued)

• Though phytoremediation technologies are still
  primarily in research and development, they have
  shown a potential for success
• Increases interest in both public and private
  sectors to help develop phytoremediation into a
  viable industry

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Technical Hurdles That Must Be Over Come

• Identifying more species that have remediative
  abilities
• Optimizing phytoremediation processes
• Proper plant selection
• Agronomic practices
• Increasing understanding of the uptake
  translocation, and metabolization of contaminants

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Technical Hurdles That Must Be Over Come

• Identifying genes responsible for uptake and/or
  degradation for transfer to appropriate high
  biomass plants
• Decreasing the length of time needed for
  phytoremediation to work
• Protecting livestock and wildlife from feeding on
  plants used for remediation

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