Study on Soil Decontamination by Phytoremediation in the

A Review

Study on Soil Decontamination by Phytoremediation in the

Case of Former Industrial Sites

Melania-Nicoleta BOROŞ, Valer MICLE

1Technical University of Cluj–Napoca, Muncii Bd., No. 103–105, 400641, Cluj–Napoca, Romania

Received 10 June 2015; received and revised form 25 June 2015; accepted 28 July 2015

Available online 1 September 2015

Abstract

The study presents the data that focuses on the current status of knowledge regarding soil decontamination using

phytoremediation in the case of former industrial sites. More or less, all countries are affected by the human activities,

urbanization and the industrial development. During these processes, different types of pollutants spread in soil and lead

to the deterioration of the environment. The contamination of soil is a major concern worldwide and it requires clean up

solutions that are friendly with the ecosystem and also efficient. Many former industrial sites can be treated using

phytoremediation technologies. They can be combined with landscape architecture to increase their value and

attractivity for the public and transform them in sustainable areas. Phytoremediation used for the decontamination of

soils is a viable and environmentally friendly solution because it uses plants as a mean of treating pollutants.

Keywords: environmental pollution, industrial sites, phytoremediation, soil decontamination

1. Introduction

The impact of pollutants on the environment

is very complex and includes many risks to human

health and the environment. Research that will be

conducted in this paper will contribute to an

expansion of knowledge regarding decontamination

of polluted soils using phytoremediation.

For the efficient regeneration of the former

industrial sites, it is necessary to identify the

creative technologies that can give an increased

value to the quality of life and environment.

Soil and groundwater quality can be

deteriorated by the propagation in the environment

of hazardous substances. Measures to improve the

current situation should be taken using the

management of contaminated sites [9].

* Corresponding author.

Tel: +40- 264-401622

Fax: +40-264- 415054

e-mail: [email protected]

The environment is more and more affected

by the effects of urbanization, the increase of

industry production, military activities and also the

chemicals which are produced annually at global

scale of more than 500 million tons [6].

The contamination of soil is the major

environmental problem due to the wastes generated

by industrial and urban activities. Non-contaminated

sites can be affected by the migration of

contaminants as dust and leachate. This might be

caused by mining, smelting of metalliferous ores,

waste disposal, spillage due to accidents or

processes and sewage sludge used to agricultural

soils [4].

The risks for environment and human health

due to the wastes produced require a technologically

feasible solution. Phytoremediation is an efficient,

inexpensive and environmental friendly technology

that can be used for soil decontamination [5].

Available online at

http://journals.usamvcluj.ro/index.php/promediu

ProEnvironment

ProEnvironment 8 (2015) 468 - 475

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2. Phytoremediation of heavy metal

contaminated soils

The types of contaminants that

phytoremediation is being tested for are:

- Petroleum hydrocarbons;

- Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene

(BTEX);

- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH);

- Trichloroethene (TCE) and other chlorinated

solvents;

- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB);

- Heavy metals;

- Radionuclides;

- Ammunition wastes and explosives;

- Pesticide wastes;

- Nutrient wastes (phosphates, nitrates) [11].

Phytoremediation has applications in

cleaning up heavy metal polluted sites. The

principle that is the basis of treatment of

contaminated areas is the ability of some plants to

take up heavy metals from soil and accumulate them

in their tissues. They are called hypperaccumulators

and can be harvested [5].

After being used for phytoextraction and

harvested, plants can be incinerated (Fig. 1),

disposed in specialized dumps or used for the

biorecovery of precious and semiprecious metals,

process called phytomining.

Also, plant biomass that contains heavy

metals can be used for obtaining energy that can be

sold. The remaining ash after the biomass

combustion is considered to be bio-ore and can be

used for extracting heavy metals [1]. Heavy metals

like Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb are found in soil and plants in

different concentrations. Depending on the

contamination of soil, concentrations may vary and

can reach critical values, presented in Table 1.

Figure 1. The fate of plants after being used for phytoextraction [12]

Table 1.Normal range of heavy metals in soil and plants mg kg−1 (ppm) and critical concentration [3]

Element

Normal range in soil Critical soil

concentration

Normal range in plants Concentration in

metalliferous soils

Cd 0,01 – 2.0 3 – 8 0,1 – 3 11 – 317

Total Cr 5 – 1500 75 – 100 0,2 – 5 47 – 8450

Cu 2 – 250 60 – 125 5 – 25 52 – 50900

Hg 0,01 – 0,5 0,3 – 5 0,1 – 9,5 100 – 400

Ni 2 – 750 100 1 – 10 19 – 11260

Pb 2 – 300 100 – 400 0,1 – 5 3870 – 49910

Zn 1 – 900 70 – 400 2 – 400 109 – 70480

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3. Decontamination of former industrial sites

At European Union level, it is estimated that

the number of potentially contaminated sites

exceeds 2.5 million and the number of contaminated

sites is around 342,000. The most part of the

contamination, approximately 38% is generated by

municipal and industrial waste (Fig. 2), followed by

the industrial/commercial activities with a

percentage of 34% [7].

The metal working industry has the most

polluting activities from the production sector, while

in the service sector, gasoline stations generate the

highest degree of pollution.

Figure 2. Sectors that produce soil contamination in Europe with details on the industrial / commercial sector [9]

470


In the case of active and former industrial

sites that are contaminated or continue to release

toxins in the surroundings, there should be made

restoration efforts in order to create new and stable

ecosystems. Landscape architecture has a special

purpose to transform and create a stable ecosystem.

The soil affected by the human disturbance must be

treated initially and continuously by the use of

phytoremediation. Plants that are chosen to clean up

the site, extract the contaminants from soil and

purify it. In this way, the flora develops in a

successional landscape (Fig. 3).

The presence of any type of vegetation

indicates the success of remediation, while the lack

of flora is an indicator of the need of major

measures of remediation.

An abundance of new flora means that the

new ecosystem can flourish [18].

.

Figure 3. Steps of returning a contaminated soil to a fertile condition [18]

In the phytoremediation applications, the

plants that can be utilized in the industrial areas are

willows, hybrid poplars which possess a strong

resistance to air pollution. Birches willows can be

found in industrialized zones with severe air

pollution [8].Table 2 lists some of the projects

where phytoremediation was applied with a level of

success in cleaning up the contaminated areas. The

table presents only a representative selection of

contaminants, plants and media.

Table 2.Examples of field projects treated with phytoremediation [10]

Location & Name Plants Contaminants Media

Slovenia, Barje Landfill Hybrid poplar Other, heavy metals Subsurface soil

UK, British Steel Soil based reed bed Coke oven effluent Effluent

Ukraine, Chernobyl Sunflowers, Indian mustard Radionuclides Soil, groundwater, water

USA, Former municipal landfill Hybrid poplar Heavy metals Groundwater

USA, Former truck depot Hybrid poplar, hybrid

willows

TPH in fill soil, BTEX Groundwater and soil

Bulgaria, Kurdjaly Alpine pennycress Heavy metals Soil

UK, Manchester Site Soil based reed bed Starch factory effluent Effluent

Poland, Upper Silesia Cereals, Potatoes Heavy metals Clay and silt, 0-20 cm

Australia, Whyalla Site Soil based reed bed Coke oven effluent Effluent

471


4. Phytoremediation in landscape design of

former industrial sites

Phytoremediation can be integrated in the

transformation of post-industrial sites in order to

create dynamic and sustainable areas, with more

purposes. Buiksloterham, situated in the north of

Amsterdam is a contaminated former industrial

dockland site. Proposals that combine

phytoremediation technologies with landscape

design applications were drawn up to create a

flexible and improved landscape that connects the

site with the surroundings and develops it further

(Figs. 4 and 5). While the soil is decontaminated by

the use of plants, the area becomes more attractive

and the biomass also provides the generation of

energy. The strategy applied in order to open the

areas that are subject of phytoremediation to the

public is to create three types of areas:

- Heavily contaminated areas – Closed to

public;

- Moderately contaminated – Partially

accessible;

- Clean areas – Open to everyone [13].

Figure 4. Phytoremediation as a purifying and attractive landscape concept in the Buiksloterham study case [13]

Landschaftspark, situated in Duisburg Nord,

Germany, is an implemented project of an

abandoned coal and steel production plant that was

transformed in a public park (Fig. 7).

The park is associated with the industrial

past and it was designed to preserve as much as

possible. Abandoned in 1985, the area was left with

a significant pollution and the new design allowed

the contaminated soils to remain at site and to be

treated through phytoremediation [16].The former

Meiderich Ironworks (Fig. 6) can be found in the

middle of the park and the old structures were

turned into facilities with different destinations open

to the public [15].

Successful project like the Landscape Park,

Germany, show that worth the efforts of

transforming the industrial heritage into a present

and future area of quality landscape.

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Figure 5. Proposal of phytoextraction technology in a contaminated zone with partially accessible type of area [13]

Figure 6. Meiderich Ironworks, closed in 1985 [17]

Figure 7. Lanschaftspark, Duisburg-Nord - a successful rehabilitation project of a former industrial site that combines

phytoremediation and landscape architecture [15]

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London's Thames Barrier Park is another

successful implemented project that won important

awards for the landscape design (Fig. 8). It was built

in two phases:

- Phase 1: The reclamation of 9 hectare of

abandoned and toxic brownfield site;

- Phase 2: Building an urban park instead of the

contaminated site [19].

Figure 8. Combining landscape architecture with the rehabilitation of a contaminated site, Case study: Thames Barrier

Park, London [14, 20]

The benefits of creating new green spaces and

using green technologies like phytoremediation are:

- Creation or expansion of ecosystems;

- Communities involvement and collaboration;

- Testing and implementing at full scale green

remediation technologies;

- Flood control;

- Educational purposes;

- Environmental renewal – improving soil, air

and groundwater quality;

- Creation of new areas for public recreation;

- Generating models for future industrial sites

redevelopment;

- Preservation of the industrial heritage;

- Economic improvement of the area;

- Identification of the what underlies in the

feeling of community and social interaction;

- Improvement of aesthetics [2].

5. Conclusion

The large number of contaminated sites

reported highlights environmental risks and their

existence without urgent action has a negative

impact on human health and the environment.

Industrial activities, urbanization, farming, have a

great influence on soil which requires measures of

treatment. Phytoremediation is environmentally-

friendly alternative to conventional soil

decontamination because it uses plants to remove

pollutants from soil. Plants are an essential

condition and an engine that can reinvigorate the

industrial landscape. Phytoremediation and

landscape architecture have an important

contribution to extending the green areas regarding

the sustainability of projects.

Acknowledgements. This work was

partially supported by the strategic grant

POSDRU/159/1.5/S/137070 (2014) of the Ministry

of National Education, Romania, co-financed by the

European Social Fund – Investing in People, within

the Sectoral Operational Programme Human

Resources Development 2007-2013.

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