Phytoremediation of persistent organic pollutants

Toxicity, chemical stability, bioaccumulation, and long-range transport of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) cause environmental and human health hazards, and demand the cleanup of remnants from previous applications. Phytoremediation uses living higher plants for the removal and biochemical decomposition of environmental pollutants and became a front-runner among cleanup technologies. The efficiency of plants as detoxifiers, filters or traps has been proven in cleaning up soils polluted with crude oil, explosives, landfill leachates, metals, pesticides, and solvents. Although phytoremediation of POPs is made very difficult by their low bioavailability, recent literature indicated that some plants (primarily those belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family) are capable of taking up significant amounts of POPs and accumulate them in their tissues. A joint French-Hungarian research project will investigate the possibility of phytoremediation of POP

Protecting plants from pests and diseases in aquaponic systems

This paper gives an overview on aquaponics - a new, emerging food production technology. We point out to the social, economic, and environmental advantages of aquaponic systems, as well as to their complexity, in relation to plant nutrition and fish and plant health, and pest control. Furthermore, environmental aspects and connections to circular economy based on sustainable ecological cycles in aquaponic systems is discussed. We conclude that, in order to produce healthy plants in aquaponic systems, 1) special care has to be taken via uninterrupted measurements of the chemical composition of the circulating water, to maintain proper levels and proportions of nutrients, 2) special consideration has to be given to the potentially toxic constituent, ammonia, and 3) the prevention, monitoring, and rapid identification of the pest(s) and disease(s), and their efficient control have to be prioritized. Application of aquaponic systems in urban agriculture might be both environmentally and economically profitable by enhancing local production, utilizing unused, often derelict buildings, creating jobs and recirculating water and other natural resources linked to renewable energy production and waste management