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 So far the results of his investigations indicate that the yucca plant may have a bright future as a phytoremediation tool. |
According to Victor Medina, a WSU Tri-Cities environmental engineer, plants have many features that make them useful for environmental purposes. Not the least of these is their ability to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions. Currently, Medina is researching phytoremediation, a process by which scientists are able to use the adaptive nature of plants to clean highly contaminated soil and groundwater. Plants have unique chemical systems that detoxify soil, gather nutrients, and control soil chemistry. Research has shown that certain plant enzymes can degrade many explosives, including TNT and RDX. One plant that seems to be taking the lead in testing the effectiveness of phytoremediation is the yucca, a hardy perennial known for thriving in nutrient-poor soil and in a wide range of environments. Medina’s research focuses on yucca plants that were found growing alone in areas heavily contaminated with munitions at the Crane Naval Weapons Station in south central Indiana. He wants to determine why these plants are surviving and how much contamination they are absorbing. So far the results of his investigations indicate that the yucca plant may have a bright future as a phytoremediation tool. He has found that the yuccas are absorbing concentrations of RDX at a rate 10 times higher than that of other plants studied previously. “Munitions contain a lot of nitrogen,” Medina says. “It seems the plants are using the nitrogen as a fertilizer.” Medina’s research will also reveal whether the yucca plants are degrading the munitions and converting them to less harmful compounds. Medina believes that if the results are positive, the yucca will open the door to treating some compounds that were untreatable before, including munitions. In that case, Medina adds, such sites as the Umatilla Chemical Depot, the Bangor submarine base near Bremerton, Washington, and the Idaho National and Environmental Engineering Laboratory in Idaho Falls could benefit. — Stacy Hall |
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