'Phytoremediation' to Restore POISONED Soil, Water, and Air
Certain plants and trees may be able to decontaminate the Ohio River and it's vicinity.
In light of East Palestine, Ohio’s “little” train conundrum, here’s a small glimmer of hope.
**My off the top recommendation is for the use of Black Willow (salix nigra) trees, as they have an extensive root system and fast growth. (Read 2nd update)
*Update (02/18/2023): Journal Article
Section 2 — Phytoremediation Mechanisms and Plants for Optimization of Each Mechanism (plants and trees are listed under each particular subsection):
2.1 — Phytoextraction, or, Phytoaccumulation (must be appropriately discarded)
2.2 — Phytostabilization, or, Phytoimmobilization (increases biome production)
2.3 — Rhizofiltration (process of metabolization seems promising)
2.4 — Phytovolatilization (transpiration)
2.5 — Phytodegradation and Rhizodegradation (more metabolizing functions)
2.6 — Phytodesalination
*Update (02/20/2023): The aforementioned study does not include research in regard to dioxins, which shouldn’t be surprising because why would they at the time? What we do have is a clear starting point on how each remediator functions and what type of mechanism they use. As an initial point of action, it doesn’t hurt to plant Black Willow trees along the river bank and observe how they take to the soil; all the while documenting nearby contaminant levels. A trial and error sort of approach, for now anyway, but it’s a heck of a lot better than taking no initiative at all. So long as there’s an attempt at remediating the environment, we’ll eventually get there — it could potentially be even better than before!
For those who live within range of affected areas, and especially to those on the ground adding these amendments/phytoremediators to the Ohio River’s vicinity, broccoli sprouts [likely due to their high production of sulforaphane] look promising at detoxifying the body of dioxins: How to Detox from DIOXIN Exposure
Below are my recommended course of actions:
The first 4 most effective remediators will be those that can metabolize and breakdown their pollutants: rhizofiltration; rhizo- and phyto- degradation; phytovolatilization (transpires into the air what is generally perceived as ‘broken down’ molecules).
Plants belonging in these respective categories should be utilized immediately along the Ohio’s vicinity.
This next method of remediation is phytorestabilization, which functions through the biome surrounding the plant and it’s roots.
I, too, believe this is another mechanism of metabolization and should be equally utilized all the same as the first 4.
As far as phytoaccumulators, be mindful of finding where to dispose the product. However, there may be a process where extracted pollutants can be ‘weaved’ out of the contaminate and utilized elsewhere; for instance, metals being isolated separately through a burning process.
This method should be applied only after the first 5 mechanisms of phytoremediation prove unsuccessful. An extraction method may be initially needed to allow a foundation of possibility for the aforementioned methods to properly function; i.e. shock from an overload of toxins may inhibit a plant’s potential at establishing a solid footing into the soil. After a successful method of accumulating pollutants, the original 5 methods should be exercised again until a series of plants are able to stabilize themselves into the environment.
*Rest of Original Article Begins Below:
“…one month old plants reached the incredible goal of removing more than 95% of uranium in 24 hours - (SUNFLOWER - Helinathus annuus L.) – which shows their power to remove radioactive metals, including Cs and Sr from superficial underground water. When reinforcing the effect of sunflowers with other species, it seems highly successful for many sites, for example waste mining sites.” [2]
Whether or not certain phytoremediators can flourish in soil contaminated with the chemicals involved from this particular chemical explosion has yet to be seen. As for the chemical detoxification/phytoremediation process, if the plant can grow then it can be a clear sign of improvement of soil longevity and health — although this isn’t always the case and contaminants can still remain despite virility of plant life and growth [3]
. It may also take several growing seasons for soil conditions to return to normal.
As for honey bees, and other pollinators, I’m uncertain of the effects it’ll have on them. I suppose it’s a matter of how broken down these chemicals can get and how much resides inside the plant… My guess is that they shouldn’t be composted, although I wouldn’t be surprised to learn otherwise. [3]
Plants known as ‘hyperaccumulators’ can’t degrade toxins/metals and are best disregarded entirely.
“Phytoremediation is a cost-effective, plant-based approach to remediation that takes advantage of the ability of plants to concentrate elements and compounds from the environment and metabolize various molecules in their tissues.
It refers to the natural ability of certain plants called hyperaccumulators(?^[3]) to bioaccumulate, degrade, or render harmless contaminants in soil, water, or air. Toxic heavy metals and organic pollutants are the major targets for phytoremediation.” [4]
*Regardless of how effective certain plants are at phytoremediation, especially in regard to the several chemicals dumped across the Ohio River system, phytoremediators (or hyperaccumulators) are a very viable and possible pathway towards restoration of poisoned soil, water, and air.