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625/R-01/011a 

November 2001 

Summary of thePhytoremediation 

State of the Science Conference 

Boston, Massachusetts 

May 1-2, 2000 

United States Environmental Protection Agency


Office of Research and Development


National Risk Manag ement Re search Laboratory


Cincinnati, OH

NOTICE 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and 

Development funded and managed the research described here under Contract 68-D7-

0001 to Eastern Research Group. It has been subjected to Agency review and approved 

for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute 

endorsement or recommendation for use. 

ii 
FOREWORD 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is charged by Congress with protecting the 

Nation’s land, air, and water resources. Under a mandate of national environmental laws, the 

Agency strives to formulate and implement actions leading to a compatible balance between human 

activities and the ability of natural systems to support and nurture life. To meet this mandate, EPA’s 

research program is providing data and technical support for solving environmental problems today 

and building a science knowledge base necessary to manage our ecological resources wisely, 

understand how pollutants affect our health, and prevent or reduce environmental risks in the future. 

The National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) is the Agency’s center for 

investigation of technological and management approaches for preventing and reducing risks from 

pollution that threaten human health and the environment. The focus of the Laboratory’s research 

program is on methods and their cost-effectiveness for prevention and control of pollution to air, 

land, water, and subsurface resources; protection of water quality in public water systems; 

remediation of contaminated sites, sediments andground water; prevention and control of indoor air 

pollution; and restoration of ecosystems. NRMRL collaborates with both public and private sector 

partners to foster technologies that reduce the cost of compliance and to anticipate emerging 

problems. NRMRL’s research provides solutions to environmental problems by: developing and 

promoting technologies that protect and improve the environment; advancing scientific and 

engineering information to support regulatory and policy decisions; and providing the technical 

support and information transfer to ensure implementation of environmental regulations and 

strategies at the national, state, and community levels. 

This publication has been produced as part of the Laboratory’s strategic long-term research 

plan. It is published and made available by EPA’s Office of Research and Development to assist the 

user community and to link researchers with their clients. 

E. Timothy Oppelt, Director


National Risk Management Research Laboratory


iii 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

Many people participated in planning and organizing the Phytoremediation: State of the Science


Conference which was held May 1-2, 2000. The primary contributors for the conference are listed


below:


Steven Rock, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), National Risk Management


Research Laboratory (NRMRL), Cincinnati. OH


Steven McCutcheon, U.S. EPA, National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL), Athens, GA


Norman Kulujian, U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development (ORD), Philadelphia, PA


Joan Colson, U.S. EPA, NRMRL, Cincinnati, OH


Mitch Lasat, U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), Washington,


DC


Steven Hirsch, U.S. EPA Region 3, Philadelphia, PA


Judy Canova, Bureau of Land and Waste Management, South Carolina Department of Health and


Environmental Control


Jeff Heimerman, U.S. EPA, OSWER, Washington, DC


Linda Fiedler, U.S. EPA, OSWER, Washington, DC


The success of the conference and the preparation of this document are also due to the efforts of the


many speakers and poster presenters. 


Eastern Research Group provided logistical support both in advance of and during the conference


as well as for the development of this document under Contract 68-D7-0001.


iv 
CONTENTS 


Notice ..................................................................... ii


Foreword .................................................................. iii


Acknowledgments ........................................................... iv


Session I: Introduction and Plenary 

Welcome and Introductions .................................................. 1


Norm Kulujian


EPA Policy Overview ...................................................... 1


Stephen Luftig


The Science and Practice of Phytoremediation ................................... 3


Steven McCutcheon


Interstate Technical Regulatory Coorperation (ITRC): Making it Easier for Regulators ... 4


Robert Mueller


International Perspective on the Cleanup of Metals and Other Contaminants ........... 6


Terry McIntyre


Looking Forward on Phytotechnologies ........................................ 7


Steven Rock


Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ........................................ 8


Session II: Fundamental Processes of Plants and Soils 

Transport of Contaminants in Plant and Soil Systems .............................. 9


Larry Erickson


Enzymatic Processes Used by Plants to Degrade Organic Compounds ............... 10


Nelson Lee Wolfe


Biosystem Treatment of Recalcitrant Soil Contaminants .......................... 11


John Fletcher


v 
Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ....................................... 12


Session IIIA: Brownfields Applications and Beneficial Use Of Land 

Goals for Brownfields Pilots ................................................ 13


John Podgurski


Hartford Brownfields Site: Site Description and Summary of 


Phytoremediation Project ................................................ 14


Jeanne Webb


Hartford Brownfields Site: Public Health Perspective ............................ 15


Jennifer Kertanis


Integrating Remediation into Landscape Design ................................. 16


Niall Kirkwood


Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ....................................... 17


Session IIIB: Radionuclides 

Summary of DOE Projects and Recommendations Offered at a Recent 


DOE Workshop ....................................................... 18


Scott McMullin


Capturing a “Mixed” Contaminant Plume: Tritium Phytoevaporation at 


Argonne National Laboratory-East ........................................ 19


M. Cristina Negri


Phytoremediation Application for Radionuclide Removal at 


Argonne National Laboratory-West ........................................ 20


Scott Lee


Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ....................................... 21


Session IVA: The Fate of Chlorinated Solvents that Disappear from 

Planted Systems 

Phytoremediation of Solvents ............................................... 22


Milton Gordon


The Case for Phytovolatization .............................................. 23


William Doucette


vi 
Phytotransformation Pathways and Mass Balance for Chlorinated 


Alkanes and Alkenes ................................................... 25


Valentine Nzengung


Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ....................................... 27


Session IVB: Innovative Solutions for Metals Removal 

Phytoextraction of Metals from Contaminated and Mineralized Soils Using 


Hyperaccumulator Plants ................................................ 27


Rufus Chaney


Phytoextraction: Commercial Considerations ................................... 29


Michael Blaylock


Zinc Hyperaccumulation in Plants: The Case of Zinc Hyperaccumulation in 


T. Caerulescens ....................................................... 30


Mitch Lasat


Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ....................................... 31


Session V: Simulations and Forecasts 

Chasing Subsurface Contaminants ........................................... 32


Joel G. Burken


Effect of Woody Plants on Groundwater Hydrology and Contaminant Fate ............ 33


James Landmeyer


Modeling Plume Capture at Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) ............. 35


John Quinn


Phytoremediation Potential of a Chlorinated Solvents Plume in 


Central Florida ........................................................ 36


Stacy Lewis Hutchinson


Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ....................................... 37


Session VI: Plume Control—On-the-Ground Experience 

Phytoremediation at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland: O&M, 


Monitoring, and Modeling ............................................... 37


Steven Hirsh


vii 
Phytoremediation Systems Designed to Control Contaminant Migration .............. 39


Ari Ferro


Deep Planting ............................................................ 40


Edward Gatliff


Transpiration: Measurements and Forecasts .................................... 41


James Vose


Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ....................................... 42


Session VII: Vegetative Covers 

Monitoring Alternative Covers .............................................. 43


Craig Benson


Growing a Thousand-Year Landfill Cover ..................................... 44


William Jody Waugh


Tree Covers for Containment and Leachate Recirculation ......................... 45


Eric Aitchison


EPA Draft Guidance on Landfill Covers ....................................... 47


Andrea McLaughlin and Ken Skahn


Activities at an EPA Region 3 Site ........................................... 48


Donna McCartney


Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ....................................... 48


Session VIII: Degradation of Organic Compounds in Soils 

Remediation of Petroleum Contaminants Using Plants ............................ 49


M. Katherine Banks


Phytoremediation of Explosives ............................................. 50


Phillip L. Thompson


Case Study: Union Pacific Railroad ........................................... 52


Felix Flechas


Phytoremediation in Alaska and Korea ........................................ 53


Charles (Mike) Reynolds


viii 
Speaker Panel and Audience Discussion ....................................... 54


Closing Remarks ............................................................ 55


ix