Technological Eco-Innovations for the Quality Control and the Decontamination of Polluted Waters and Soils

The Special Issue “Technological Eco-Innovations for the Quality Control and the Decontamination of Polluted Waters and Soils” deals with the most recent research activities carried out at lab and field scale on eco-sustainable tools for the remediation of contaminated environmental substrates. It is particularly devoted to highlight the relevance of biological organisms (plants, microbes, algae) to assess the chemical contamination in water and soil and to remediate such matrices from the pollution caused by the human activities. Therefore, bioremediation is a primary focus of most of the articles published within the present Special Issue. Bioremediation is a promising environmentally friendly technology to deal with the chemical pollution in different ecosystem compartments and its integration with the traditional approaches might represent

Using Mycofiltration Treatment for Stormwater Management

Federal and State environmental regulations require transportation construction and retrofit projects to manage stormwater and improve water quality. MassDOT has legal, financial, and ecological obligations to mitigate pollution from stormwater runoff entering water bodies. Existing green and gray infrastructure in place across the Commonwealth is not always able to address non-point-source stormwater pollution. Mycofiltration is a promising stormwater management technology that utilizes mycelium, or fungal webs, as biological filters to mitigate water contaminants passing through woodchips, straw, or soil. This low-cost and low-tech solution could be added to MassDOT\u2019s typical Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) to mitigate stormwater containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and biological pollutants (e.g., E. coli). This project analyzed existing literature and case studies on mycofiltration, documented interviews with subject matter experts, and identified MassDOT SCMs most suited for mycofiltration. Conceptual details for mycofiltration SCMs are provided, as are lists of potential local fungal inoculant vendors and academic research partners for future studies. The research indicates that there is currently not enough scientific peer-reviewed literature to support deploying mycofiltration as an addition to MassDOT stormwater SCMs. However, with further testing and verification, there may be benefits of including fungi as SCMs in the future

Plant Hormones

Plant hormones are among the most essential biochemicals found in plants. Since Charles and Francis Darwin identified auxin action, several plant hormones have been discovered. These small signaling molecules regulate not only developmental and growth activities, but also stress responses throughout the plant’s life cycle. This book discusses recent advances, new perspectives, and applications of plant hormones. It is a useful resource for academics, scientists, students, and industry professionals

Phytoremediation of LNAPLs and residual oils in the vadose zone and capillary fringe

The success of phytoremediation is dependent on the exposure of plants to contaminants, which is controlled by root distribution, physicochemical characteristics, and contaminant behaviour in the soil environment. Whilst phytoremediation has been successful in remediating hydrocarbons and other organic contaminants; there is little understanding of the impact of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) on plant behaviour, root architecture and the resulting impact of this on phytoremediation. The ability of plants to phytoremediate dissolved-phase contamination is well known, but the impact of Light NAPLs (LNAPLs) contaminants on plant growth and subsequent contaminant behaviour is largely unknown. A review of current literature available on phytoremediation was conducted. Across the studies considered, sandy loam, loam, and silt loam appear to have a better organic contaminant removal than other soil types because of nutrient availability and water supply for plant growth and root development. The review shows that the NAPLs, in particular, have an effect, which suggests that there is a physical effect of NAPLs on plants rather than the chemical impact. In this thesis, experimental works with ryegrass (Lolium perenne) grown under both hydroponic conditions and planted in artificial soils are presented, exploring the impact of the physical presence of an LNAPL (mineral oil) on plant growth, root distribution and oil removal. In the presence of LNAPL, a significant increase in root biomass yields and distribution, a decrease in shoot biomass and significant LNAPL removal were observed. Roots close to LNAPL sources were able to remove dissolved-phase contamination, and root growth through LNAPL sources suggest that direct uptake/degradation is possible, but any contribution from physical and direct interaction between root and NAPL has not been conclusively demonstrated here. Evidence of root redistribution in the case of LNAPL contamination across multiple adjacent pores is also presented. Although some impediment to root growth was seen at low oil contamination levels in general increased root biomass and also deeper root structures were observed as the coverage of the oil layer increased. The presence of plants corresponded to significant removal of the LNAPL in both hydroponic conditions and planted soil, whereas without plants only minimal oil loss was observed. The research has demonstrated the potential for plants to tackle NAPL contamination and shows that the phytoremediation of organic contamination is not limited to tackling only the dissolved phase, but that roots interacted with the NAPL which resulted in a significant indirect reduction in the presence of the LNAPL

The 20th Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments and Water

Conference at a Glance Monday, October 18, 2004 Workshops (Workshop #1: 9:00 am-5:00 pm, Workshops #2-3: 10:00 am-5:00 pm, Workshops #4-5: 1:00-5:00 pm, Workshop #6: 2:00-5:00 pm) Workshop #1: Modeling Vapor Attenuation Workshop: A Study of Vapor Intrusion Modeling in the Context of EPA’s Guidance Workshop # 2: Theory and Use of Field Portable X-ray Fluorescence for Soil Analysis Workshop #3: In-Situ Chemical Oxidation Workshop Workshop #4: The Triad Approach to Managing Decision Uncertainty for Better Cleanup Projects Workshops #5: The Role of Anaerobic Biodegradation Process in Passive and Enhanced Monitored Natural Attenuation Programs Workshop #6: Environmental Fate of Hydrocarbons in Soils and Groundwater Tuesday, October 19, 2004 Platform Presentations 8:30am – Noon Session 1: Environmental Biotechnology Session 2: Heavy Metals at Training Ranges Session 3: Site Assessment Session 4: Bioremediation of Acid Mine Drainage and Removal of Metals 1:30 – 5:30pm Session 1: Environmental Terrorism Session 2: Remediation I Session 3: Phytoremediation Session 4: Heavy Metals Poster Session 4:00 – 6:00pm Social 4:30 – 6:00pm. Exhibit Area, First Floor Campus Center Workshops (Evening, 7:00 – 10:00pm) Workshop #1: Modeling Vapor Attenuation Workshop: A Study of Vapor Intrusion Modeling in the Context of EPA’s Guidance (Continued) Workshop #7: Asbestos and the MCP Workshop #8: Policy Issues in Inter-Agency Coordination Workshop #9: In-Situ Thermal Remediation Wednesday, October 20, 2004 Platform Presentations 8:30am – Noon Session 1: In-Situ Chemical Oxidation Session 2: Oxygenates Session 3: Bioindicators/Biomarkers of Environmental Health: Concepts and Application Session 4: Pay-for-Performance Remediation Technologies - Methods & Case Studies of Science & Economics 1:30 – 5:30pm Session 1: Risk Assessment and Remedial Approaches Towards Restoration and Management of Contaminated Rivers Session 2: Arsenic Session 3a: Analysis Session 3b: Pesticides Session 3c: Indoor Air Session 4: Bioremediation Poster Session 4:00 – 6:00pm Social 4:30 – 6:00pm. Exhibit Area, First Floor Campus Center Workshops (Evening, 7:00 – 10:00pm) Workshop #10: An Introduction to the Use and Application of Gene Chips in Environmental Toxicology and Implications for Their Use as Biomarkers in Contaminated Sites Evaluations Workshop #11: Latest Developments in Managing Perchlorate in Soils and Groundwater Workshop #12: Vapor Intrusion into Indoor Air Workshop: MADEP Requirements, Background Levels, Case Studies and More Workshop #13: Exploring Innovative and Cost-Effective Solutions to Contaminated Sediments to Achieve Ecological Restoration of the Lower Neponset River Workshop #14: Environmental Forensics Workshop Thursday, October 21, 2004 Platform Presentations 8:30am – Noon Session 1: Environmental Forensics Session 2a: Legal Issues Session 2b: Modeling Session 3: Perchlorate Session 4: Risk Assessment and Bioavailability 1:30 – 5:30pm Session 1: Remediation II Session 2: Sediments Session 3: Regulator

Importance of plants and microorganisms in the Phytoremediation of brownfield sites

Phytoremediation is an emerging green technology for the restoration of contaminated sites with various organic and inorganic contaminants. However, phytoremediation efficiency is limited by factors such as contaminant concentration, toxicity and bioavailability, plant choice and stress tolerance, and competence of indigenous microorganisms. A number of possible solutions have been proposed to overcome these limitations. The use of tolerant plant candidates, mixed plant communities and bioaugmentation with microbes and/or plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) have been proposed to suppress plant growth inhibition/phytotoxicity and enhance contaminant degradation through the rhizosphere effect but there is need for more research to understand their impact. This research assessed the impact of contaminant stress (diesel fuel, PAH; phenanthrene, fluoranthene and benzo[a]pyrene, and heavy metal) on selected plant species and microbial community structure, contribution of abiotic processes and rhizoremediation to PAH dissipation, and the impact of PGPB on plant growth and PAH dissipation. These objectives were achieved through greenhouse experiments with M. sativa, F. arundinacea and L. perenne on diesel fuel- and PAH-spiked soils. Diesel-fuel treatments had a negative impact on plant biomass yields while the single and mixed PAH treatments had stimulatory and inhibitory effects on plant biomass yields relative to the control

Short Rotation Woody Crop Production Systems for Ecosystem Services and Phytotechnologies

While international efforts in the development of short rotation woody crops (SRWCs) have historically focused on the production of biomass for bioenergy, biofuels, and bioproducts, research and deployment over the past decade has expanded to include broader objectives of achieving multiple ecosystem services. In particular, silvicultural prescriptions developed for SRWCs have been refined to include woody crop production systems for environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration, water quality and quantity, and soil health. In addition, current systems have been expanded beyond traditional fiber production to other environmental technologies that incorporate SRWCs as vital components for phytotechnologies, urban afforestation, ecological restoration, and mine reclamation. In this Special Issue of the journal Forests, we explore the broad range of current research dedicated to our topic: International Short Rotation Woody Crop Production Systems for Ecosystem Services and Phytotechnologie