INVESTIGATION OF THE ABILITY OF PLANTS FOUND IN WESTERN KENTUCKY TO HYPERACCUMULATE LEAD AND ALUMINUM FROM SOILS

Hazardous waste sites are a major problem and of heightened concern fo r the world today. Many conventional and experimental technologies are available for soil remediation. Unfortunately, the costs associated w ith the majority of these methods are nearly equivalent to the benefit s. Heavy metal contaminants are quite common and present increased dif ficulty in soil remediation. Currently, the method most frequently use d for the remediation of sites contaminated with heavy metals is excav ation. This process is both expensive and impractical. A method that o ffers significantly more benefits than conventional technology is the use of plants to accumulate heavy metals from the soil. It is less exp ensive and safer for humans and the environment. A group of native pla nts found in western Kentucky have been identified as potential phytor emediators, along with common garden plants, which have the ability to hyperaccumulate lead and/or aluminum. Lettuce, cantaloupe, and corn a re capable of collecting significant amounts of aluminum. Cauliflower and tomato plants can accumulate both aluminum and lead. The hyperaccu mulation of heavy metals by these plants could be used as one solution to a costly environmental cleanup problem. (C) 1997 Academic Press.