Scientists supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Research Program (SRP) together with community and tribal members of the Mi’kmaq Nation are using phytoremediation to remove PFAS from a contaminated site in northern Maine, United States.
Phytoremediation is a technique that takes advantage of a plants ability to take up and accumulate hazardous substances from the environment. To boost the plants uptake of PFAS, the research team also plans to use nanoparticles made from silica, a chemical that is the main constituent of most rocks and minerals, and small carbon nanoparticles, called carbon dots.
This graphic illustrates increased uptake of PFAS by hemp when the soil is treated with nanoparticles (B).
The plant absorbs less PFAS when nanoparticles are not present (A). (Image courtesy of CAES)
“I hope that phytoremediation can become a feasible option for removing PFAS from soil” said project researcher Sara Nason, Ph.D., of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES). “Current options are very limited overall”.
The collaborators chose fibre hemp because it grows quickly, takes up large amounts of water, and is usually not grazed by livestock. In addition, parts of the plant that are less suitable for PFAS storage, such as stems, may be used by tribal members to make products such as bricks and rope.
CAES scientists worked closely with the Mi’kmaq Nation to develop plans for soil sample collection and hemp planting that allowed the community to conduct most of the field research, while producing scientifically useful data.
“Listening to the needs of community researchers and designing projects around their interests and capabilities has been key to our success” Nason said. “I hope that our work with the Mi’kmaq Nation can be an example to other scientists doing community-based research”.
Read more here
Read the study here
21 October, 2024