Mar 31 2010
What is the point of Bioremedation/Phytoremediation?
Can anyone tell me what the point of Bioremedation and Phytoremediation are, because as Mr. Willard said, “there is no away.” Aren’t we just transfering the problem of hazardous wastes from one place to another, without solving the problem?
I think the biggest positive with both, especially phytoremediation, is that it removes the hazardous wastes from places where humans can be affected. It reduces the potential for wastes to enter groundwater, and as long as humans do not directly consume the plant, or a consumer of the plant, the hazardous materials are “out of sight, out of mind.” A neurotoxin tied up in a non-consumption plant as very little potential for affecting us compared to it percolating into the groundwater or accumulating in fish we eat.
Well you sort of have to look at it and make a decision on which one is “worse.” If the water supply is contaminated, then we would much rather try and “move” the waste from extremely-important water to the we-can-deal-with-it-later plant life (in this example, phytoremediation). However, phytoremediation is very slow, so I doubt people would want to just hang out with contaminated water for a few years for decently effective method to run its course.