Phytoremediation is an attractive alternative to conventional treatments of soil due to advantages such as low cost, large application areas, and the possibility of in situ treatment. This study presents the assessment of phytoremediation processes conducted under controlled experimental conditions to evaluate the ability of Ricinus communis L., tropical plant species, to promote the degradatio...

Introduction In recent years, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and nonand monoortho-substituted polychlorinated biphenyls (dioxin-like PCBs) have received considerable attention because of their extreme persistence, bioaccumulation and toxic potential to wildlife. The concentrations of these compounds in wildlife were reported in recent years 1, . And particularl...

Pilot plant studies were carried out to evaluate the feasibility of remediation of coal tarcontaminated soil and oil-contaminated gravel by incineration with environmentally acceptable performance. In addition to adequate decontamination and emission control, effort was devoted to treating the special feedstocks with difficult handling properties by use of conventional combustion and feeding sy...

Large tracts of abandoned urban land, resulting from the deindustrialization of metropolitan areas, are generating a renewed interest among city planners and community organizations envisioning the productive use of this land not only to produce fresh food but to effectively manage stormwater and mitigate the impact of urban heat islands. Healthy and productive soils are paramount to meet these...

In the past century, several explosive compounds have become the major soil contaminants causing health and economic challenges to the society. In the U.S. alone millions of hectares of land are contaminated by various forms of explosives. The two most dangerous explosives, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and hexahydro-1,3,5trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (Royal Demolition Explosive; RDX), are major enviro...

Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) data are reported from a system that models the contamination of a clay/organic matter soil from a fuel spillage. The soil was represented as an aqueous dispersion of the synthetic clay mineral Laponite coated with lysine, and the contaminant was a representative jet fuel, quadricyclane, mixed with the detergent cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The ad...

Chemical pollution of the environment has become a major source of concern. Studies on degradation of organic compounds have shown that some microorganisms are extremely versatile at catabolizing recalcitrant molecules. By harnessing this catabolic potential, it is possible to bioremediate some chemically contaminated environmental systems. Composting matrices and composts are rich sources of x...