Phytoremediation of chlorinated ethenes in seepline sediments: tree selection

Phytoremediation of chlorinated ethene (CE)-contaminated water was investigated at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC, USA. Perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) are present where CE-contaminated groundwater currently outcrops in seepline soils. Results of constructed and planted test cells, filled with soil from a noncontaminated seepline area and supplied with CE-contaminated groundwater (48 ppb) in the field for one season are presented. These test cells were planted with loblolly pines, hybrid poplars, coyote willow, and sweet gum. Cis-dichloroethylene (cDCE), a byproduct from rhizosphere microbial activity, was detected in the soils as well as some tree tissues. All trees tested were found to uptake both PCE and TCE (5-50 pbb/gm dry wt).