Open AccessPHYTOREMEDIATION FOR HEAVY METAL‐CONTAMINATED SOILS COMBINED WITH BIOENERGY PRODUCTION
Author(s) -
Luc Van Ginneken,
Erik Meers,
Ruben Guisson,
Ann Ruttens,
Kathy Elst,
Filip Tack,
Jaco Vangronsveld,
Ludo Diels,
Winnie Dejonghe
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of environmental engineering and landscape management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.514
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1822-4199
pISSN - 1648-6897
DOI - 10.3846/16486897.2007.9636935
Subject(s) - phytoremediation , phytoextraction process , bioenergy , environmental science , environmental remediation , biomass (ecology) , soil water , heavy metals , anaerobic digestion , energy crop , waste management , hyperaccumulator , soil contamination , incineration , biofuel , contamination , environmental chemistry , agronomy , chemistry , engineering , ecology , organic chemistry , methane , biology , soil science
In June 2007, a project started in Flanders (Belgium) in which we will apply phytoremediation to clean soils that are diffusely polluted with heavy metals. Uptake ranges of heavy metals by rape seed, maize and wheat will be enhanced by increasing the bioavailability of these heavy metals by the addition of biodegradable physico‐chemical agents and by stimulating the heavy‐metal uptake capacity of the microbial community in and around the plant. In addition, the harvested biomass crops will be converted into bioenergy by using different energy‐recovery‐techniques. The energy and heavy metal mass balances will be compared for four different energy‐recovery techniques (anaerobic digestion, incineration, gasification and production of biodiesel). The overall information obtained will result in an economic evaluation of the use of phytoremediation combined with bioenergy production for the remediation of sites which are diffusely polluted with heavy metals. In the present review we will first explain the most important research steps investigated in our phytoremediation project. Secondly, an overview of literature discussing the phytoremediation capacity of rape seed to clean soils that are contaminated with heavy metals and the possibilities to produce biodiesel from this (heavy metal polluted) rape seed will be discussed in more detail.