Award details

Phytoremediation: an integrated biological approach to the decontamination of polluted soils

ReferenceBSW13537
Principal Investigator / Supervisor Professor Andrew Smith
Co-Investigators /
Co-Supervisors
Institution University of Oxford
DepartmentPlant Sciences
Funding typeResearch
Value (£) 204,104
StatusCompleted
TypeResearch Grant
Start date 09/08/2000
End date 08/08/2003
Duration36 months

Abstract

The aim of this work is to develop an integrated system for the bioremediation of soils co- contaminated with heavy metals and organic pollutants. This will exploit plants that hyperaccumulate heavy metals in their leaves, thereby removing them from the soil, and the beneficial effect of the plant root systems on populations of soil microorganisms capable of degrading organic pollutants. To maximise rates of metal removal from the soil, recombinant DNA techniques will be used to introduce the metal-hyperaccumulation trait into high- biomass-producing brassica genotypes. In parallel, we shall investigate ways of maximising the activity of microbial communities in the rhizosphere capable of degrading organic pollutants. The synergy between metal removal by hyperaccumulating plants and degradation of organics by microbes should allow the development of novel strategy for the remediation of polluted soils. (Joint with grant 43/BSW13538)

Summary

unavailable
Committee Closed Committee - Engineering & Biological Systems (EBS)
Research TopicsX – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research PriorityX – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative LINK: Biotreatment of Soil and Water (BSW) [1993-1999]
Funding SchemeX – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme
terms and conditions of use (opens in new window)
export PDF file